Antigua’s - Mystic

Antigua’s Mystic - Ink drop

First, I like Antigua’s inks. I think of them as having a carefully considered collection of colors, and makers of reliable ink with high-quality performance at a good price. This is my sixteenth review of the brand’s inks, and I haven’t had any problems with feathering until now. Antigua’s Mystic didn’t feather on all papers, but it did happen on papers that normally don’t.

Antigua’s Mystic fountain pen ink color range

Antigua’s Mystic (I love the name, by the way) is a very nice, dark purple violet. I say purple violet because on some papers, a red undertone produces the classic grape purple. It makes me think of cartoon characters and mascots. It makes me smile. On other papers, blue undertones dominate, and you get a lovely, dark violet (blurple). Here, it really matches the name well. I like both results.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

I like the writing feel, and the flow of this ink. It’s smooth and wet, but not watery. This is my favorite consistency in a writing ink. Show through is a bit heavy on uncoated papers, but that isn’t surprising for this color. Drying was about average, too. There are lots to like here.

Traces of Feathering on Cosmo Air Snow paper

Feathering didn’t occur on all papers. It was fairly clean and sharp on some, and it was surprisingly good on office copy. On some of the others, however, feathering was pretty heavy. It’s confusing because it happened where I didn’t expect it, and it didn’t happen on papers that, in some cases, I know are more prone to show feathering. I’m not sure what to think.

Antigua’s Mystic Writing Samples

Antigua’s inks are normally very consistent in performance. I think of the brand as very reliable, and ideal for everyday ink choices. They have so many nice inks, so don’t let this experience put you off the brand. I wonder if I got a tainted sample, or if something happened with this particular batch. If you’ve tried Mystic, I’d love to hear your experience.

Antigua’s Mystic - Swatch Card

Special thanks to Miguel Angel at Antigua’s for gifting me with the inks, and to Maria at www.inksinspiration.com for sending them! Check out both of their websites!

Antigua’s Mystic - Swatch Card Ink Comparisons

Antigua’s Mystic 50 ml Bottle - (Image from www.antiguas.es)