Monday, March 28, 2022

Fountain Pen Ink Review: Cozy Comforts by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × micahfinds

In the previous two years during the pandemic, we saw pen companies and brands come up with new and exciting products that kept most of us—including me—entertained and motivated at the same time. It's always inspiring and moving when people work together to bring out excellent products for others to enjoy. Products from such partnerships are not only well-crafted and full of details, they are designed from the heart with their intended users in mind. 

One such product is the most recent ink set from Robert Oster Signature that the most creative @micahfinds designed for EndlessPens. Cozy Comforts, a six-color fountain pen ink collection is an EndlessPens exclusive, inspired by six soothing sounds, smells, sights, and sensations. Inspired by tea, coffee, books, campfire, and stars, these beautiful and vibrant fountain pen inks evoke feelings of comfort, ease, and satisfaction. Rants of The Archer has the pleasure of introducing to fountain pen enthusiasts all around the world the EndlessPens exclusive Cozy Comforts by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds

Cozy Comforts, a brand new ink collection exclusive to EndlessPens.

Cozy Comforts by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds

Cozy Comforts are six beautiful ink colors with shading, sheening, and shimmering properties. The six colors are the following:
  • Tea Time – a green ink inspired by the color of matcha green tea
  • Coffee Date – milky brown ink inspired by lattes
  • Old Book Smell – rich red-brown ink inspired by worn and torn leather-bound books
  • Soft Kitty Warm Kitty – cool grey-blue, inspired by the coat of the Russian Blue cat.
  • Campfire Crackle – shading orange ink with a black sheen and a touch of shimmer
  • Stargazer – a dark sheening teal ink with blue and silver shimmer, reminiscent of stars lighting up a night sky.
Six colors in Cozy Comforts fountain pen ink set. Please click the photos in this review to zoom in.


Cozy Comforts Tea Time

"Tea Time is a desaturated green ink inspired by the color of matcha green tea, paired with gentle conversations, mindful journaling, or grounding meditation."

Tea Time, the only green ink in the set, is a lovely fountain pen ink color. It has a yellow undertone that makes it more unique than other tea, olive, or moss green inks such as Robert Oster Crocodile Green and J. Herbin Vert Olive. Tea Time reminds me of late afternoon tea with friends or a warm cup on a cold, rainy night. This ink is very expressive of the color undertone with beautiful shading, especially if used in fountain pens with wide nibs. It is well-behaved and has excellent flow.

I used two types of paper for this review, Canson 90gsm sketch paper, and Tomoe River Paper 68gsm in LiveNotes notebooks from PenGallery. Tea Time appears lighter in the Canson sketch paper and a bit darker in Tomoe River Paper. It did not feather or bleed on both papers, but dried faster on Tomoe River Paper.

Cozy Comforts Tea Time by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds
Tea Time has a strong yellow undertone.
This green fountain ink is very expressive and has wonderful shading.


Cozy Comforts Coffee Date

"A milky brown ink inspired by lattes, and the company of those who make you feel like your favorite self."

Coffee Date is a warm, golden-brown fountain pen ink inspired by milky coffee, a pleasure I have forgone for several years now. This fountain pen ink has medium shading and a subtle yellow to orange undertone. It is a bit lighter than the Robert Oster crowd favorite Caffe Crema and has less red than J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie. The first time I saw the color of Coffee Date, I thought of caramel instantly, and looking at my writing sample felt like I am smelling caramel toppings on a cup of coffee. Coffee Date is well-behaved and has excellent flow. It did not feather or bleed on both Canson sketch paper and Tomoe River Paper.

Cozy Comforts Coffee Date by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds
Coffee Date is lighter than Robert Oster Caffe Crema, and is more golden brown that the red-brown J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie.
Coffee Date has medium shading and dries a beautiful golden brown.


Cozy Comforts Old Book Smell

"Old Book Smell is a rich red-brown ink inspired by worn and torn leather-bound books. Running your fingers through the spines as you walk through library and bookshop aisles."

Old Book Smell is a rich, luxurious red fountain pen ink with a dark brown sheen. It has medium saturation but flows and dries well. It is darker than Robert Oster Signature Red Candy and almost similar to Diamine Oxblood. This ink has medium shading, well-behaved. It did not feather or bleed on Canson sketch paper or Tomoe River Paper. The red-brown Old Book Smell reminds me of the hard-bound Reader's Digest compilation books I used to hoard when I was in college. Most of them have turned red-brown due to age and use, and they smell old, too. 

Cozy Comforts Old Book Smell by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds
Old Book Smell has medium shading and a lovely dark brown sheen.
This dark red-brown ink reminds me of the old books I hoarded when I was in college.


Cozy Comforts Soft Kitty Warm Kitty

"A cool grey that leans blue, inspired by the coat of the Russian Blue cat. Warm ball of fur curling up against you on a gloomy day, reminding you that tomorrow can be better."

Soft Kitty Warm Kitty is the most expressive ink color in the Cozy Comforts set. The grey-blue ink also produces a light purple undertone, depending on lighting, paper, and nib width. It is a shading ink, and I am excited to see it from a stub nib. Though my cat is a ginger tabby, Soft Kitty Warm Kitty will always remind me of cats. This ink has good flow, but it feathered in the Canson sketch paper, although it was fine in Tomoe River Paper.

Cozy Comforts Soft Kitty Warm Kitty by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds
Soft Kitty Warm Kitty has a beautiful light purple undertone.
Soft Kitty Warm Kitty is a beautiful grey-blue ink that will always remind me of cats.


Cozy Comforts Shake 'N' Shimmy Campfire Crackle

"A shading orange ink with a black sheen and a touch of shimmer. From embers to flame. The crisp sound as the logs burn, warming you on a cold evening, camped out with friends."

Finally, this set has orange ink!

Shake 'N' Shimmy Campfire Crackle is such a beautiful dark orange ink with a very fine shimmer and black sheen. It is a well-behaved ink, flows well, and did not feather or bleed in either the Canson sketch paper or Tomoe River Paper. I love the fine gold shimmer in this ink and will probably include this in my regular orange ink set. 

When I was in high school, I loved studying using our dining table which faced the small bahay kubo next to our house. One evening, as I was studying for a biology exam, there was a brownout in our neighborhood, and as I stood up to get some candles, I saw a burning ball of fire inside the bahay kubo. It was a mesmerizing mix of yellow, orange, and red all in a ball of fire that we call santelmo. Yes, I saw a santelmo in my lifetime, and Campfire Crackle brought back memories of that dark, magical night. 

Cozy Comforts Shake 'N' Shimmy Campfire Crackle by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds
I like the fine shimmer of Campfire Crackle. It's simple, subtle, and beautiful.
Campfire Crackle is a redder version of Burned Orange without the shimmer.
Campfire Crackle is a beautiful orange ink with fine gold shimmer and a black sheen.


Cozy Comforts Shake 'N' Shimmy Stargazer (Stargazing) by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × micahfinds

"A dark sheening teal with blue and silver shimmer, reminiscent of stars lighting up a night sky. The 3 AM thoughts. The hushed sounds of nature. The smallness of one, and the bigness of the whole."

Shake 'N' Shimmy Stargazer is a dark teal fountain pen ink with a unique blue and silver shimmer. Of all six ink colors in the Cozy Comforts set, Stargazer is my instant favorite! It reminds me of Christmas trees and holiday decorations! Looking at the swatch of Stargazer is like staring up at the summer night sky dotted with flickering stars.  Like Campfire Crackle, Stargazer is a shimmer ink that is well-behaved and flows well. I chose a Broad nib for the two shimmer inks in this set for a better flow and also for the shimmer to show.  

Cozy Comforts Shake 'N' Shimmy Stargazer (Stargazing) by Robert Oster Signature × EndlessPens × @micahfinds
Stargazer has a unique shimmer of silver and blue flecks. 
Stargazer/Stargazing is a darker, greener ink than Herbin's Emerald of Chivor, but equally beautiful.
The shimmer is very visible in this writing sample from a Broad nib.


It was fun and exciting working on the review of these six fountain pen inks. I enjoyed working on the swatches and doing the small art and writing samples for each ink color. This set has a good selection of colors, and @micahfinds did an excellent job—all six inks are well-crafted and full of beautiful details.  

Do you want to try and experience Cozy Comforts? Get them from EndlessPens where you can buy the whole six-color set or pick individual bottles of the colors that you like. 

I had fun doing this spread for Cozy Comforts.


Rants of the Archer thanks @micahfinds and EndlessPens for providing the complete six-color set of Cozy Comforts for review purposes. To see EndlessPens' product offerings, visit their website or follow them on social media:

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for letting us know about these inks. One of the reasons I watch your feed.

    Do these inks have aromas? Some of the names make me wonder.. I can almost smell them "coffee", "old book", "campfire" in particular.

    ReplyDelete