Monteverde - California Teal

Monteverde - California Teal - Ink drop

I think of Monteverde inks as the Diamine of North America. At US$8-10 for a 30 ml bottle, their inks are very nicely priced, and they generally produce good-looking inks that perform well in writing. California Teal is a beautiful green teal, but it’s a bit unusual for Monteverde in that it’s a strong sheening ink on many papers.

Monteverde - California Teal - Rich color range

California Teal is a velvety, medium-to-deep green with enough blue influence to call it a teal, and it's bursting with vibrant pink sheen. The sheen explodes in the splatter image. It’s visible in writing on many papers, but it’s a bit more restrained. That’s probably a good thing! You’ll find decent shading, too, more than many sheening inks offer.

In writing, it’s a fairly wet, but viscous ink, and it flows well. Drying was a bit longer than average on many papers (particularly coated papers), but that’s common among sheening inks. There’s also more show-through than average, so you need to keep that in mind. I’ve also noticed some crusting on the bottle, as well as in a couple of pens. That’s not something I enjoy, and it will be a deal-breaker for many.

Monteverde - California Teal - Shading and edge

Monteverde California Teal is a real beauty, and it’s priced very nicely! However, with all of the positives here, there are negatives that are difficult to ignore. I inked this up frequently when I first bought my bottle, but with all of the alternatives, I rarely, if ever do anymore.