BUNGUBOX - Sweet Potato Purple

BUNGUBOX Sweet Potato Purple - Ink drop

Look at those ink swatch images! There is a lot to love here! Sweet Potato Purple is one of the first six inks released by BUNGUBOX back in 2009. It originally came in the squat Sailor Jentle bottles, but it was re-released in 2020 in BUNGUBOX’s heel-shaped bottles. The color faithfully represents the much-loved sweet potato so common in North Asia. Although I don’t have a bottle, it was released together with Sweet Potato Yellow, a golden yellow that matches the delicious inside of the vegetable.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

Sweet Potato Purple is a deep almost plum purple with reddish (and on some papers, hints of brownish) undertones. As you can see, there are slight variations of color based on the paper you choose, but the Tomoe River writing sample probably best represents the color I find on standard copy papers. On the premium papers, you’ll find traces of golden or lime gold sheening on the edges of written strokes. There’s enough sheen edging to add a little decoration to a page, but never more than almost everyone would be comfortable with for normal writing. This is a nice shading ink, too! It’s a beautiful ink.

Ink Swatches on Iroful and Takasago Bank papers

Writing performance is clean and crisp. Feathering was absolutely never an issue on any paper tested. I’ve used it for work for a week and haven’t had any problems. Showthrough is surprisingly absent, as well! In flow, it has that well-balanced feel that I like. It’s quite luxurious on the page and glides effortlessly, neither watery nor dry.

Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper

This is a great ink for work or for play! It’s on the expensive side, but you definitely won’t be disappointed. BUNGUBOX inks aren’t easy to get in most parts of the world, but they are slowly spreading their wings through international pen shows, and working with a small number of select overseas retailers (BlueBlack Penshop in Seoul, Aesthetic Bay in Singapore, for example). I’d love to see them more widely available in the future. BUNGUBOX also make ordering online easy, and they ship internationally, too. Enjoy!

BUNGUBOX Sweet Potato Purple ink writing samples

BUNGUBOX Sweet Potato Purple - Swatch Card

BUNGUBOX Sweet Potato Purple - Comparisons

BUNGUBOX Sweet Potato Purple 30 ml bottle