CoffeeStudyTalk

I picked up my third Fountain Pen a Platinum Century 3776 (Fine Point) in Chartres Blue.  There are tons of Reviews on this pen so I'm not going to be doing one and just discussing why I picked the 3776 as my first 'nice' pen.  After enjoying the Pilot Varsity and Metropolitan, I wanted to invest in a good, quality pen to give me a better experience and understanding of what Fountain Pens are all about and the 3776 is an excellent choice for me.  At $67 from Amazon with another $8 for the Ink Converter this is not a cheap pen and I'll have to handle this one with greater care, but that price point is the 'sweet spot' in terms of getting something substantial without breaking the bank.  I was contemplating getting a $30-40 pen that is a step-up from the Metropolitan, but I couldn't justify it as an extra $20 above that would get me the 3776. First Impression I immediately filled it with Iroshizuku Kon-Peki Ink and the first few lines were scratchy and thin, b

I finally received my first bottle of Iroshizuku Ink in Cerulean Blue (Kon-Peki).  It's a popular color of ink that others online have been raving about and I can see why. Using my Pilot Metropolitan Fine Point, I was able to load it and try writing some lines and am very happy with Kon-Peki.  Although, its too early to tell if this is my 'Signature Ink' it's definitely shaping up to be one I'll be using quite regularly. Fractured Bottle Cap The only mishap was during shipping the flimsy plastic bottle cap fractured and some ink leaked all over the inside of the shipping package.  I was able to seal the fracture with tape and will likely have to move the remaining ink to another container.  It's a pity and I'm learning this is a common flaw with Iroshizuku Ink in that the plastic cap doesn't hold up very well.

What a difference a year can make on my perception of Scotch Whisky.  I was barreling towards Single Malts only to be disappointed in a very bad bottle of Macallan 12 year old and now hurtling back to Blends.  While I tried various Blends, none seemed suitable beyond Johnnie Walker Red or Black and while I was tempted to move towards Green Label, the online reviews mentioned it's the older, discontinued variation of Green Label that was limited to just four (4) Single Malts that defined this JW version; in otherwords, I missed the party on that one. And so, to ensure some variety in my collection I opted for Monkey Shoulder which is a Blend of three (3) Whiskies: Glenfiddich Balvenie Kinivie I am familiar with Glenfiddich and Balvenie and for the most part was unimpressed by Glenfiddich until I tried mixing it with some other Whiskies.  So this naturally got me interested in Monkey Shoulder.  I don't really know much about Kinivie other than all three Whiskies are part of the s

Flew down to San Diego for a Weekend Vacation.  Didn't do much (which is the point of a true vacation).  The Hotel had Starbucks in the room and an In-N-Out Burger down the road.  For evenings I enjoyed a tall glass of beer.  A fantastic Weekend and then back to the bustle of work.

Contents Pen Pen Display Case (Clear Plastic Top Cover) Con-20 Style Converter One (1) Blue/Black Ink Cartridge Nib Style - Fine (F) or Medium (M) Color / Model Numbers Classic Black MRFC1BLKFBLKP (F) MRFC1BLKMBLKP (M) Gold   MRFC1BLKFGLDP (F) MRFC1BLKMGLDP (M) Silver   MRFC1BLKFSLVP (F) MRFC1BLKMSLVP (M) Retro Pop Green / Marble Red / Wave Orange / Flower Purple / Ellipse Grey / Hound Tooth Turquoise / Polka Dots Animal Print Purple / Leopard  White / Tiger Black / Crocodile Gold / Lizard Silver / Python My Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen (Fine Point) arrived from Amazon and its a beautiful writing instrument.  The online reviews were largely accurate in describing this as an excellent starter pen and indeed the immediate sense of quality could be felt just by holding it. There is a certain weight and heft that exudes a sense of quality.  And the overall look and feel is best experienced by actually holding and wielding the pen; for $13 this is a phenomenal deal. It even comes