SKB is a Taiwanese stationery manufacturer that makes things like ballpoint pens, glue, that kind of thing. They also have a line of fountain pens that range from the starter to nicely high-end (by high-end here I mean, of course, around USD$100).
I own the smaller size of SKB Tea Amber, which comes in a 25ml glass bottle. It's flat and quite small, so you'll likely have to move it to something like a sample vial eventually. The lid is a thin sort of metal, like Rohrer & Klingner caps, and I don't really like them; they don't seem to get a good seal, and they feel a bit flimsy. Both my bottles leaked on their flight back from Taiwan, though luckily not too much (and I also packed all my bottles in Ziploc bags). SKB inks come with a paper seal on the top of the opening, which you'll have to peel off to access the inky goodness inside. Supposedly, that should have kept the ink inside, but I'm a very impatient person and happily ripped off those seals the moment I purchased my spoils.
There is a larger size, which gives you a whopping 5ml more in a bottle. You're right if you think this is silly. They're of higher quality though, sort of like the 15ml Pilot Iroshizuku bottles. There are also two other colors that are only in this size: a sky blue called Thin Clouds (薄雲) and Cherry Snow (櫻雪), a soft pink.
Tea Amber is a... well, I wish I knew how to describe this color. I suppose it's a bit like a dark khaki? But not really, because it's a bit deeper and has a little more warmth to it. Is it supposed to look like, say, the Taiwanese culinary invention, milk tea? Perhaps, but milk tea is a creamier beige color. I mean, the name is "tea amber," so my assumption is that it's supposed to look like a cup of tea. Whether or not it does is up to interpretation, I'm sure.
Tea Amber has very little water resistance, almost disappearing with water.
It took a little longer to dry, smudging quite readily at 15 seconds on Kokuyo MIO paper.
In both the fine and broad nib, there is a little bit of shading.
Can I tell you that I love this ink? Because I really, really do. It flows perfectly in my LAMY Safari with a broad nib.
I hate that I'm gushing about this ink, because—well, if you don't live in Taiwan, you probably can't buy it unless it's through something like a proxy service. It's an inexpensive ink that performs very well. I honestly may need to find a way to pick up a second bottle, because I can see this little 25ml bottle going quick.
Where to buy
- Ty Lee: bottle
This post was updated on 4/12/20 to match my current review methodology.
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