Starry Ink - Cacao

Starry Ink Cacao - Ink drop

Cacao is from Starry Ink’s Cold Brew series. These are interesting inks, and they recently won a 2024 Good Design Award from the Japanese Institute of Design Promotion (an annual award with almost 70 years of history) for the series. The inks are quite unique, as they’re 100% natural, made from plant extracts using Starry Ink’s “Cold Brew” extract technique. In this case, they process the chocolate fruit shells that remain after the cocoa beans have been harvested. Beauty from what was once an unused waste product! If I didn’t know, I never would have guessed the ink was different in that way.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

Cacao is a beautiful, almost creamy, soft light brown. It’s in a range of browns that have been very popular this year, and I think people will like it. There’s good shading that adds variation, but the color never gets lost on pure white or more cream-colored papers like Midori MD. There’s a nice, darkened edging on stroke profiles. This keeps strokes clean and crisp to the eye. It’s a very calming tone.

Ink Swatches on Iroful and Takasago Bank papers

I wasn’t sure if the all-natural ingredients would change the writing experience. I’m happy to say that Cacao writes beautifully. It’s neutral or slightly dry in flow, but it’s very smooth on the page. There’s no problem with feather or bleed, and even on standard office copy paper, there’s no showthrough really at all. Drying times are average, so no problem there, either. This is a nice writing ink.

Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper

The bottles are familiar from the Sodapop series, but the packaging has really stepped up. It’s available in a 35 ml bottle individually, or as part of a 3-ink, 5 ml set. In both cases, they are elegantly presented in a nicely made, and very sturdy, tube-shaped box. The packaging is decorated with the plant theme of the inks, and it’s nicely done.

Starry Ink Cacao ink writing samples

Check out @starryink_official on IG for more information. They’re also available on various shopping sites, and Starry Ink will launch a new shopping website with international shipping available by the end of 2024.

Starry Ink Cacao - Swatch Card

Special thanks to Starry Ink for sending this and several other inks over to try! (As usual, if I accept inks or pens to try, it is always with the clear understanding that I may or may not review them. If I do, I will always include all the negatives and positives that I find.)

Starry Ink Cacao - Comparisons

Starry Ink Cacao - 35 ml and 5 ml set

JIDP 2024 Award - Starry Ink’s Cold Brew series