Sailor Manyo Uri Fountain Pen Ink Review

I think the most important thing to tackle right from the start is “what color is Sailor Manyo Uri?”

Is it Brown? Is it Green? Is it Gold? Is it Grey? I think Uri is a “yes to all” situation, especially when that situation calls for this fascinating ink to be used on several different paper types.

According to the description of the Sailor Manyo Ink Collection, these inks were inspired by the “Man'yōshū,” Japan’s oldest poetry collection. Specifically, the foods and culinary traditions of the Heian period. Uri represents a Melon-Cucumber shade … does that help narrow down what color it is on the page?

I’ll go on record that I see it as Brown-Green. On most of my pages, Brown is at the forefront, with Green appearing in undertones. There are a mixture of other shades contained within, such as Gold, and even a hint of Reddish-Purple where the edge of the ink pools. It’s legit wild, and your mileage may vary.

Bungubox Mikkabi Mandarin Orange Mini Fountain Pen, Sailor Manyo Uri ink lines, Pennonia Niagara Peach dots. So fruity!

On non-absorbent papers, Green takes the visual lead. The lines above were drawn in a Yoseka notebook, and I would bet this is the shade you would see on papers like Cosmo Air Light and Iroful, especially with inky applications.

Yoseka Notebook, top, Midori Cotton, bottom.

When writing with a traditional nib - in this case a Japanese Fine - on papers like Life and Midori Cotton, the Brown comes out. I think it looks fantastic, even though I wouldn’t consider myself a Light Brown ink fan. That this ink has so many other things going for it color-wise has me wanting to use it for everything.

If you are not familiar with Sailor inks as a whole, I consider them one of the top brands on the market. They are consistent performers, even across product lines. And wow, are there product lines. This specific Manyo series is a Limited Edition, and they join a range of existing Manyo inks that make up a regular edition. Yes, it’s confusing, but even a Limited series like this set of five inks can be found in stock at most retailers.

At $24 for a 50 ml bottle, Uri, and the rest of the Manyo ink lineup, is priced well, comparatively speaking. A quick glance at all of Sailor’s different pricing will make your head spin, but these bottles are in the sweet spot, I think.

Uri is in that sweet spot for me as well. I love traditional fountain pen ink colors like Blue Black, but odd colors like this one are seeing more and more use from me over the past year, and I’m here for it. Strange inks here we come.

(This bottle of ink was sent to me by a friend. Thanks Lisa!)

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Sailor x Dromgoole’s Apricot Jam & Mint Jelly Ink Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I was super excited to see this Dromgoole’s Instagram post about their inky collaboration with Sailor and next thing I know, a set of the inks shows up in the mail for review! How awesome is that?!

This is Dromgoole’s first ink with Sailor and they are named Apricot Jam and Mint Jelly. Just a reminder that, despite their tasty sounding names, the inks aren’t meant for eating/drinking :-). These two inks were launched this past Saturday on October 19, 2024 and come in 20ml square glass bottles like the Sailor Shikiori and 50 States series.

Sailor x Dromgoole’s Apricot Jam (top) and Mint Jelly - I love the cute artwork!

As in the past, all swatches were done on Col-O-Ring cards using a Kakimori steel dip nib, while writing samples were done with a TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and a Lamy Vista with a steel Medium nib. The TWSBI Go is a wetter writer and the Lamy is a drier writer, so these two give me a good idea of how an ink will look from different pens. The notebook used for writing samples is the Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Dry times for the Vista are shown with “(V)” and the Go will be below that and might also be shown with “(T)”. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on paper like Cosmo Air Light, Rhodia, copy paper, or with drier or finer nibs, etc.

Apricot Jam is described as a “golden yellow with hints of orange”, but it is more orange with wetter pens. Even in drier pens, like the Lamy, the orange is more than just a hint. It’s also not a bright orange (like Sailor Apricot or Kin-mokusei), but more of a golden orange with a tinge of brown. It is a readable ink whether you use it in drier or wetter pens. The ink dried pretty quickly as well.

Writing sample of Apricot Jam on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook.

You get more shading from the drier-writing Vista compared to the wetter Go. The ink is quite a bit lighter when writing in cursive too.

Apricot Jam’s chromatography definitely had a lot of yellow, with a bit of pink (giving it the orange color), but what surprised me the most was the edge of green and turquoise at the very upper edge!

Inks similar to Sailor Apricot Jam: Callifolio Inti (very close but just a hint of brown in person), Nahvalur Mango Sorbet, Robert Oster 2023 CA Pen Show Sunset, Robert Oster Ng Special ‘16, KWZ El Dorado.

Mint Jelly is described as “shades of minty green” but when I swatched it, I was surprised at the color and double checked it against the IG post to make sure I had the right color. I also checked the box/bottle art which matches the ink. I had expected more of a light/pastel green or a bright spring green since that’s what Google says mint jelly looks like. The Mint Jelly ink, on the other hand, is more of a light but moody/dusty green.

Writing sample of Mint Jelly on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook.

The ink is much lighter with the Vista than the Go, especially with cursive vs print.

I did this chromatography twice because that blue-gray line did not want to budge and I wanted to make sure I didn’t make a mistake! There is just a hint of yellow that moved up a little, which gives this ink its greenish color.

Inks similar to Sailor Mint Jelly: Pennonia Zuzmo Lichen (a bit too green and peachy). Kyo-no-oto 08 Urahairo (also too green, but probably the closest), Troublemaker Sea Glass (too dark), and the remaining 3 - Sailor Ink Studio 162, Troublemaker Petrichor, Colorverse December 7, 1787 - were too blue.

Sailor x Dromgoole’s Apricot Jam and Mint Jelly inks on 68 gsm TR.

Both inks had just a wee bit drier than average flow, with Mint Jelly a touch drier than Apricot Jam. As expected, the dryness is more noticeable in the Lamy. Both Apricot Jam and Minty Jelly had similar dry times around 30 seconds (or faster). Apricot Jam was fine in both pens but I didn’t love Mint Jelly from the Lamy. It was a very nice color in the Go though. I really like that both of these aren’t the typical orange and green inks that are out there and I especially love that they are lovely shaders too.

I inked up the Montegrappa Mia, Grigio Arancio, Medium nib with Apricot Jam, and paired the Leonardo Momento Zero, Giada, Elastic Fine nib with Mint Jelly.

Only 500 bottles of each color were made with no current plans for restocking. Apricot Jam and Mint Jelly are currently available on their website or in store for $20 each (shipping is not included). I hope there will be more inky collaborations to come!

(Disclaimer: Thank you to Dromgoole’s who provided these inks at no charge for review purposes. All other inks and notebooks are my own.)

Sailor x Tinterías Cilantro and Refried Beans - Round 3 of Inky Goodness

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

After my reviews of the first two Sailor x Tinterías inks and the second set, I couldn’t wait to get the third batch of the Deliciosa inks. I practically pounced on Jeffrey Coleman at the Chicago show to snag a set. (Jeffrey produces Tinterías, a Spanish podcast about pens, ink and stationery. You can find him on Instagram as @drcoleman1102 and also through the podcast account @tinteriaspodcast.)

This third batch of inks continues the Deliciosa theme of food-based ink names - Cilantro and Refried Beans. Just a reminder that, despite their yummy sounding names, the inks aren’t meant for eating/drinking :-). These two inks were launched in September 2023 and come in 50ml square glass bottles like the Sailor Manyo series.

As in the past, all swatches were done on Col-O-Ring cards using a Kakimori steel dip nib, while writing samples were done with a TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and a Lamy Vista with a steel Medium nib. The TWSBI Go is a wetter writer and the Lamy is a drier writer, so these two give me a good idea of how an ink will look from different pens. The notebook used for writing samples is from Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Dry times for the Vista is shown with “(V)” and the Go will be below that and might also be shown with “(T)”. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on paper like Cosmo Air Light, Rhodia, copy paper, or with drier or finer nibs, etc.

Cilantro is a medium spring green, not too bright or yellow, but also not a kelly green either - more like a grassy green. Refried Beans is a little harder to describe - it’s a medium light brownish orange, or maybe it’s an orangey brown. Search for images of refried beans, especially ones that are more orange in tone, and you’ll have an idea of what inspired this ink color.

Writing sample of Cilantro on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. You get a bit more shading from the Vista compared to the Go, which leaves a slightly more saturated line. Note that I had two “swipes” for the Go’s 30 second test because I accidentally let the timer go too far the first time, oops.

I was surprised at (1) how much yellow was present and (2) how “bunched up” the remaining pink, green and turquoise colors were. Thinking that maybe the colors would separate out more if I gave it more room, I repeated the test on a 4” strip of chromatography paper with the same results (so no picture.)

Inks similar to Sailor Cilantro: Robert Oster Forest Green (a bit too yellow/olive), Ferris Wheel Press Moonlit Jade (similar color in writing sample, but also has shimmer), Akkerman Dutch Masters 10 Van Huysum’s Sapgroen (too bright and too yellow), and Robert Oster Green Lime (a bit too “regular green.”)

Writing sample of Refried Beans on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. As with Cilantro, there is more shading from the Vista than the Go. Note that I had two “swipes” for the Go’s 45 second test because I accidentally swiped 15 seconds too early, oops, I did it again 🙂.

What was really neat to see is the bit of chromashading effect of Refried Beans from the Vista which is difficult to capture in photos.

Even though the swatches make the ink look slightly brownish, it’s actually a pink undertone that makes this different from many orange inks. I was also surprised to see the hint of green and turquoise at the very top.

Inks similar to Sailor Refried Beans: Robert Oster Brisbane (too yellow), Robert Oster Antelope Canyon (good color match but a bit darker), Montblanc James Purdey & Sons Single Malt (a touch too red), Robert Oster Campfire (similar to Antelope Canyon but a touch too brown.)

Both inks had average flow, although Refried Beans felt a wee bit drier than Cilantro. What was even more surprising was that Refried Beans took longer to dry, even though it felt drier when writing. I was surprised at how quickly Cilantro had dried, even in the TWSBI Go, since it is a darker ink. I think that Sailor Cilantro would work well in most pens and nib sizes, while Refried Beans might not be as readable in very fine or dry nibs. The Medium nib from the Lamy Vista is probably about as fine as I would go, unless I was using a gusher of a pen like a Pelikan, which is what I will probably use next time. Also, the Refried Beans ink really needs paper like Tomoe River or Cosmo Air Light to show off the subtle chromashading.

The Deliciosa line of inks on 68 gsm TR.

These inks, as well as the last two, are currently still available for purchase on the Tinterías website. They sell for $30 each (shipping is not included). I don’t know if there will be more inks coming up but if they are, I’m going to get my inky lil hands on them!

(Disclaimer: Inks were purchased directly from Jeffrey Coleman at the 2024 Chicago Pen Show at regular price. All other inks and notebooks are my own.)

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