Montegrappa - Eucalypt

Montegrappa Eucalypt - Ink drop

Montegrappa Eucalypt is an interesting, complex ink from their Signature series. I wasn’t completely in love with it at first, but grew on me, as I learned to work with it and get results that I like.

Montegrappa Eucalypt fountain pen ink color range

The base color is an undersaturated, cottony blue. It’s the blue of a wintery, early morning sky. On heavily coated papers, the blue is a bit brighter and truer than on other papers. On most others both coated and uncoated, murky yellow undertones, and occasionally a touch of orange adds a subtle, slightly dirty quality to stroke centers. I say dirty, but it’s not unattractive. The broader your nib, the more complexity you’ll find.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

There is shading variation on all papers, but it’s almost always a gradual transition from medium to light, rather than a dramatic shift up or down. On coated papers, there is a nice stroke edging that keeps profiles clean and well-defined. In these cases, the undersaturated ink is quite usable for writing. On uncoated papers, you don’t get the same edging, and there is some spreading on office copy paper. It isn’t an unusual amount, but it is definitely visible.

Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper

As expected, Eucalypt is fairly wet in flow. It’s more non-existent in feel, rather than buttery smooth, and it lets you feel whatever feedback there is in the paper you use. Drying times weren’t a problem, but they are often longer than average. Again, not surprising, given the consistency of the ink.

Montegrappa Eucalypt ink writing samples

I’d probably use Montegrappa Eucalypt as a creative ink, rather than a regular writing ink. With the right nib and paper you could, but for me the complexities seem more suited to artistic uses. You’ll find it in Montegrappa’s very nice, 50 ml bottles for US$20-25 at many online retailers.

Montegrappa Eucalypt - Swatch Card

If you haven’t tried any KWZ inks, I recommend you do. If you like Berry, it’s a great place to start, but there are quite a few other beauties to tempt you. They priced nicely, too. You’ll find them in 60 ml bottles for US13-15 at many online retailers. Enjoy!

Montegrappa Eucalypt - Comparisons

Montegrappa Eucalypt - 50 ml Ink Bottle