The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen.
Specs
Name: Long Trail
Maker: Colorverse
Color Family: Teal
Properties: Sheening
Gifted to me by my generous Giftmas in July swap partner, Heather!
What’s in a name?
Colorverse has a special USA series of inks, with an ink inspired by and named for something from each of the 50 states. Long Trail celebrates Vermont, with its 272-mile hiking trail through the forest. Although this is classified as a teal ink, it really leans toward hunter green (more green than blue), and I think the red sheen is meant to evoke the changing leaves during the Autumn on this trail.
Swatches
A large swatch of ink showcases the darkest this ink gets, as well as the maximum properties it has (when held at the right angle to show any shimmer or sheen). But what about when you’re writing a letter or notes with it?
The above was written on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a TWSBI Eco-T fountain pen with a Stub nib.
Of course, for maximum effect you want to see it in light and in motion. The following video shows the ink swatched on Skylab Letterpress 160gsm cards.
Thoughts
This ink has a lovely dark teal hue to it, and the red sheening quality, though it pops in swabs and swatches, looks more like black shading in writing samples. Which is still pretty, and subtle, but unexpected. I tried tilting this journal to the light with every angle, but that writing sample looked 0% red. It’s definitely a business-friendly hue, given the level of saturation and brightness. And it’ll work equally well in all nib sizes- at its lightest, it’s still a mid-tone peacock green.
Writing-wise, it leans on the dry side but didn’t present any difficulties. For a sheening ink, the dry time was faster than I expected as well. It’s a pretty approachable ink! Colorverse rarely disappoints (and their glass bottles are funky, which I love), so I definitely recommend this one as a teal green for your collection.
*All pics and vid were taken using a Samsung Galaxy S22 and color-adjusted to best reflect the hue of that ink.
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