Robert Oster - Avocado

Robert Oster - Avocado - Ink drop

Robert Oster Avocado is a complex ink, and I’ve been very interested in trying it for some time. It’s part of their standard Signature line of inks.

Visually, this is a lovely, floral green. It’s the green of mature bamboo leaves and has almost a fibrous appearance. It brings to mind deep, vegetable greens, but there are subtle pink and brown undertones that become prominent in wetter, broader application, and immediately conjure images of avocado! It’s a moderate shading ink and shows some halo stroke edging. All of this adds personality and interest to a somewhat understated, but interesting color.

Robert Oster - Avocado - Ink swatch card

As a writing ink, Avocado is a wet, smooth-flowing ink, and is very well-behaved. Strokes were sharp and clean on all premium papers, with only a hint of micro-feathering on office copy. It shades nicely on coated papers, slightly less so on uncoated (although Apica showed strong shading, as well). Halo edging was visible on all premiums, but never fully develops, and was absent on office copy. Drying was fantastic on all six papers at 5-15 seconds on premiums, and under 5 seconds on office copy. It performed well on coated and uncoated premium papers, and office copy, as well.

This is a very calming, composed ink on paper, both pleasant to read, and comfortable in use. To get the widest range of coloration and shading, I recommend using broader nibs and coated papers. I found Kokuyo to provide the richest darks, and Mnemosyne the proudest shading. This is a great casual or personal use ink, and it’s very easy to recommend.