KWZ Ink - Baltic Memories

KWZ Ink Baltic Memories - ink drop

This is the poetically named Baltic Memories form KWZ. Released in late 2017, this is one of several inks named for places in Poland, featuring an ink drawing on the label. Like most KWZ inks, it has that signature vanilla scent.

Visually, Baltic Memories is a heavily saturated, very dark blue with subtle yellow and grey undertones. This is a moderate shading ink (it has a fairly high viscosity, and this often limits shading.) Undertones become visible in areas of shading, but other areas maintain the dark blue base color that borders on black sometimes in writing. The thicker the nib, the darker the ink. This is a fairly heavy sheening ink. A brilliant pink-red sheen covers both pooling and strokes on premium papers.

KWZ Ink Baltic Memories - ink swatch card

As a writing ink, Baltic Memories is quite nice. It has a wet, smooth flow. Stroke profiles were clean and crisp on all four premium papers, and remained pleasant on office copy, as well. Sheen was high on premiums, but it was absent on office copy. It’s a moderate shading ink, but shading was definitely stronger on Rhodia and Kokuyo. Drying times were 25-40 seconds on Rhodia and Mnemosyne, 15-25 on Kokuyo and Apica, and 5 seconds on office copy.

KWZ inks are consistent, trustworthy performers. I think Baltic Memories is a great alternative to standard blue-black inks. The sheen may be too heavy for office situations, but it’s the little extra that sets this ink apart. I recommend thinner nibs to get the most variation in color.

December 2020