I don’t know that I love the name (although it’s definitely growing on me), but I do love the ink! Roast Beef is the third ink in the City of London set from BlueBlack in Seoul. This is a store-exclusive with inks from Diamine, and together with previously reviewed New York City and Seoul, it’s one of three sets in the City series. You can get it at their store, or online (BlueBlack has both a Korean site and English site, but the selection is wider on their main site.)

I love dark reds. They tend to lean either rusty, dark orange or slightly purple in appearance. Roast Beef has hints of of both. Subtle plum undertones influence more saturated stroke centers, and the lighter stroke ends hint of the orange elements in brick reds. This makes it more of a deep wine red than actual roast beef to my eye. Either way, it’s a very attractive ink.

It’s a nice shading ink on coated papers. This gives strokes a lovely gradation that brings out the personality in this complex color. Especially in medium or wider nibs that aren’t overly wet, there’s a wide range of variation from light to dark.

This is a Diamine ink, so you can be confident in its performance and consistency. It’s fairly wet in flow and writes beautifully. From feathering, to show-through, to drying, I don’t have any issues to report. Even on cheap office copy, it’s a nice ink, and the chromatography suggests a reasonable level of water-resistance, too. This makes it a versatile ink to consider.

You can find Roast Beef in the City of London set from BlueBlack. They have a wonderful store in Seoul, and you really should visit if you have the chance, but you can order it online, as well. The City series sets make fantastic gifts and offer a nicely balanced selection.

Special thanks to BlueBlack for surprising me with the gift of this set. It doesn’t influence my review in any way, but it is appreciated!