Today we have the Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink review & giveaway for you. (And we’re definitely not upset that we had a chance to get to know this new release from Taccia better). In fact, we’re pretty pleased about this week’s ink review situation. In our recent comparison of red inks, we discovered that of the 6 red inks featured, the Taccia Aka Red was the smoothest of the smooth. So we’re interested if this week’s featured ink also stands out for any different traits or characteristics. Let’s find out! Read the full Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki Ink Review below!

All About the Ink Maker: Taccia

In this section, we’ll discover a few basics about the ink maker, Taccia. Firstly, they’re one of the newer ink makers on the scene with their first release seen in 2018. Secondly, they now have a few different ink series to choose from: their initial “regular” inks including 13 basic primary colors, the Taccia Ukiyo-e ink series, the Jeans Series, and lastly, the 2nd Version Ukiyo-e ink series. The original Ukiyo-e ink series featured 2 sub-set series, Hokusai Series (Japanese Landscapes) and Syaraku Series (Facial/Characters). Each of the sub series included 4 inks for a total of 8 inks in the original Ukiyo-e ink series. The original Ukiyo-e ink series was followed by the recent release (August 2021) of the Ukiyo-e Ink Series, 2nd Version.

No matter which ink series you’re considering, Taccia’s inks are all made in Japan and are pH safe for fountain pens. This week’s featured ink, Utamaro Umemurasaki (Plum Purple), is one of the Taccia Ukiyo-e Ink Series, Version 2 ink colors.

Featured Ink Series: Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e Ink Series

The recently released (August 2021) Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e Ink Series includes 2 sub-series just like the original Ukiyo ink series release:

• Hiroshige Series (named for an artist well know for depicting nature, birds, flowers, vegetation, etc. as well as incorporating Indigo Blue into his art). The 4 ink colors in this sub-series include
• Utamaro Series (named for an artist specializing in depicting beautiful women in his art).

Each of the sub-series in the Taccia Ukiyo-e Ink Series, Version 2 includes 4 inks for a total of 8 ink colors:

• Hiroshige Ainezu (Blue Gray)
• Hiroshige Asahanada (Sky Blue)
• Hiroshige Nakamurasaki (Red Purple)
• Hiroshige Ruri (Lapis Lazuli)
• Utamaro Aomurasaki (Blue Purple)
• Utamaro Benizakura (Crimson Cherry Blossom)
• Utamaro Umemurasaki (Plum Purple)
• Utamaro Usuzumi (Light Black)

Like Taccia’s other inks, the Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e ink series inks are all fountain pen safe inks made in Japan. Check out all the Taccia ink options available now at PenChalet.com. But for now let’s focus on today’s Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink review.

Featured Review Ink: Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki Ink

In today’s Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink review, we’ll get a better look at this very unique color from the 2nd version of Taccia’s popular Ukiyo-e ink series. We’d describe it as a brown-purple-pink color (that has some amazing characteristics). Ume Murasaki goes down in a medium to high saturation and shows up dark on paper. But the shading traits going much lighter. We enjoyed working with this unique and interesting color, discovering its characteristics, and we always love the highly themed Taccia packaging. Let’s dive into the details with the full Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink review.

*** Ready to get to know this week’s fountain pen ink with the full review? Read on for all the details we discovered during this week’s review tests. And as always, while we recommend reading the full review for the full story, you can also skip to the bottom to enter to win if you’d like. We won’t force you to practice the lost art of patience today.

It’s Time: Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki Ink Review

During this week’s Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki Ink Review, we put the ink through our standard ink review tests. And here’s what we found out!

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

In this paragraph, you’ll find the different products we used alongside the ink to conduct the review. This week we used a French-made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip comparable to a medium-fine fountain pen nib) on Rhodia dot pad paper. As always, we want to remind you that different papers or different nib sizes may produce different results!

What Ink Bottle Does Taccia Use?

Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink comes in a 40 ml. square heavy-weight glass bottle. This series has very professional packaging including internal protection built right into the outer box. There’s also an internal placard featuring an artwork sample from each of the 8 bottles in the Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e ink series (both sub-series). The exterior packaging is fantastic, featuring art from the 2 artists that provided the inspiration for the inks, Hiroshige and Utamaro.

How Much Does Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e Ink Cost?

For the 40 ml. bottle, Taccia Ukiyo-e ink (2nd version) is a mid-range priced ink. While the Ukiyo-e 2nd version inks are more expensive than Taccia’s regular line of ink, we think it’s worth it. Check for the latest discounted price at PenChalet.com.

How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

We use the 1-dip test to see how far the ink can write on paper with “1 dip.” We conducted the 1-dip test using a J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen, Rhodia dot pad paper, and this week’s review ink, Taccia Ukiyo-e 2nd version Ume Murasaki ink. We dipped the pen in ink once for each writing sample shown above (“S,” “X,” and scribble lines). As you can see it easily wrote across the page on all three writing samples; which is surprising for a light color.

How Fast Does the Taccia Ume Murasaki Ink Dry?

While using Taccia Ume Murasaki fountain pen ink, we saw a dry time of about 6-7 seconds with medium to high saturation. This is a good ink choice for everyday use or for special projects, letters, notes, journals, etc.

Does This Week’s Fountain Pen Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use of this week’s ink. Although we did see some very slight bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test (at the wettest points).

Was There Any Feathering While Using Taccia Ume Murasaki Ink?

We saw no feathering during normal use on Rhodia paper. We also saw no noticeable feathering during the water test (up next).

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?

For the water test, we let an ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before running a wet cotton swab over the sample. This week’s ink is not waterproof. However, we only saw very light color smearing during the water test. It performed very well. For instance, the lines were very legible with almost no distortion at all and almost no additional feathering. In other words, Taccia Ume Murasaki ink held up very well to our standard water test.

Does Taccia Ume Murasaki Ink Have Good Shading Traits?

During our Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink review, we saw some very unique shading traits. (Any traits in your inks will be more apparent and easily displayed when using a nib that allows ink flow variation, like a stub or italic nib). With the Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e ink series’ Ume Murasaki ink, we saw a range of shades from a dark dusty plum purple color to a lighter dusty pink color. The purple color dries to a brown-purple shade.

Final Conclusion: Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki Ink Review

This week’s ink falls in the mid-price range and comes from a well-regarded Japanese pen company. Taccia Ume Murasaki ink is a very unique purple-brown color that changes a bit as it dries (and has a reasonable dry time). The ink comes in fantastic packaging; very unique and interesting. The Taccia 2nd Version Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink is only available in the 40 ml. bottle size (which is on the smaller side of ink bottles). Ukiyo-e 2nd Version inks are high performance inks safe for fountain pens. 8 total ink colors fall into 2 sub-series options (each inspired by an artist and featuring that artist’s work on the bottle and packaging). Happy writing from Japan!

Enter to Win Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki Ink:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Taccia Ukiyo-e Ume Murasaki ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review:

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