[Swatch + Review] One year of ink with Callifolio 'Bourgogne'

Top is copy paper; bottom is 160 gsm Col-o-ring. Dirty marks are because I dropped the paper (oops).

• Brand name: Callifolio
• Location: Albi, France
• Known for: Brightly-colored & non-toxic water-based inks made with natural materials

Callifolio's Bourgogne is what I'd refer to as a warm purple; it is described as a wine-red/burgundy fountain pen ink. It also claims to be:

• Not waterproof

• Dry flow

• Moderate dry time

• Good shading

• Low saturation

I bought this at Vanness in late 2019 because I wanted an attractive ink that was easy to use for everyday writing. I have used it on a variety of paper types and found it to perform consistently across all of them (e.g. 104 gsm Paperfect White, 80 gsm Rhodia, 160 gsm Col-o-ring), though I have only used this ink in my medium-point Platinum Procyon fountain pen. The bottle is a triangular shape, similar to a big slice of cake. I can't seem to find this particular shade on the company's website, though it is available at Vanness and Jet Pens.

Addressing the claims, I feel they are all pretty accurate. Your results, of course, may vary, depending on the paper and pen paired with it. Being a water-based ink, this is obviously not waterproof. I am not very well-versed in wet vs. dry inks but would agree that this one does not seem terribly wet, though the flow is not overly dry, either. Dry time is good, with my test smudging very little after five seconds and not at all after 30 seconds. The shading (how much contrast between heavy/light ink deposits you see in a single stroke) is moderate, where I definitely notice it but am not distracted by the variance. Multiple resources I've seen define saturation for fountain pen inks to refer to how intense the color is; using that definition, I'd say this one lies somewhere in the middle.

There is no sheen (i.e. color shift), nor does it have any shimmer. I have not seen any feathering on any of the paper types I've used with it, including standard notebook paper. It does not bleed unless seriously over-used on thin paper, and the ghosting (how much it shows through) is minimal on notebook paper and none on nicer paper. Comparing my current writing to samples I did a year ago, it doesn't seem to have any significant fading or other changes. Finally, I have had no issues refilling my pen or cleaning it out with this ink.

Thoughts

Welcome to my first ink review! I am definitely a novice in this area, but I wanted to try my hand at reviewing an item like this because I've been enjoying it as a new normal in my life. I've been using fountain pens regularly for almost a year and a half, and I've now used Bourgogne as my go-to for daily planning and occasional journaling for over a year. I used it for the first time on January 1, 2020, and I can now attest to what a full year of ink use looks like! While I didn't use this for all of my writing, obviously, I did consistently refill my converter every month or so. I got a lot of use out of this ink and am incredibly impressed at the value for price. I have lots of ink left, and I still enjoy using this every day. It's incredibly beginner-friendly, and I find the color interesting but professional and easy to see. I truly don't have anything bad to say. I chose this color without much knowledge at the time, and it definitely has paid off. If you like the way this looks and/or would be interested in an inexpensive ink that's easy to use, I recommend Bourgogne! The only thing left to do now is master my French pronunciation so I can talk about it.