12 Days of Inkmas: Callifolio Sepia (Day 9)

Today, I wanted to warm up with some hot cocoa, gingerbread or a peppermint mocha. So, I chose an ink that reminded me of all those things — Callifolio Sepia.

Callifolio Sepia is a warm brown ink that is reminiscent of chocolate, gingerbread and all those warm beverages that keep us toasty during these long winter days.

Side note: For an in-depth analysis on sepia, check out our post, Let’s Talk About Sepia Ink.

Callifolio Sepia is a lighter, less saturated ink and definitely puts me in mind of milk chocolates when looking at a writing sample.

Amusingly, every time I tried to write Callifolio, I wrote “caffeinated” by mistake. Clearly the ink reminds me of coffee and chocolates or I am in desperate need of caffeine.

Compared to other brown inks, like shown above,  Callifolio Sepia is a lighter, albeit more neutral brown. Diamine Gingerbread, from the 2019 Diamine Inkvent calendar,  is much more golden and Diamine Roasted Chestnut has a more orange-y tint. J. Herbin Café des Íles is probably closest in tone though more saturated.

When lined up, from top to bottom —  Callifolio Sepia, J. Herbin Café des Íles,  and then Diamine Roasted Chestnut and Gingerbread — the difference in hue is clear to see.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced, warm brown ink, Callifolio is an often overlloked option. This particular shade is a little lighter than I anticipated but might be suitable for you. Regardless, Callifolio is a great brand of ink and one of my favorites though it’s not mentioned often.

Tools:

• Paper: William Hannah A5 (£6.00 for 50-sheets) with 7mm guide sheet, Curnow Backpack Notebook with Ink Journal Ink Collecting Guide Sheet (FREE)
• Pens: James Finniss Serendipity Hybrid Pen ($79AUD) and Franklin-Christoph with Fine Italic nib, Tachikawa dip nib holder ($7.75 and up) with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack) and Toronto Pen Company PENtastic CxPO Tester Pens (set of 2 for $40CAD), Kemmy’s Labo Corset Glass Pen ($35)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Princeton Watercolor Round #8 brush
• Ink: Callifolio Sepia ($13 per 35ml bottle)

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DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.