I love Papier Plume Pecan, but don’t ask me about the name. I know they have pecan trees in Louisiana, where Papier Plume is located. And perhaps the ink is named for the color of a pecan shell, or maybe the bark of the pecan tree. But I’m unfamiliar with that. Because a pecan tree would be “something found outside.” Not my bailiwick.
Pies, however, I know. So I know this is not the color of pecan pie filling. Papier Plume Pecan is not a standard, traditional brown. Instead it’s brown-gray sepia. Instead of leaning yellow or red like many browns, this is a cool-hued brown. It’s elegant and understated.
Here’s a writing sample on Rhodia.
Here it is on cream-colored Tomoe River paper.
I didn’t really see sheen there, for sheen fans. Maybe in a different pen? I doubt it, though, but I’m no expert. But look at the shading. I love the shading.
I love that the color is sophisticated and almost delicate, but still perfectly legible. I love that you won’t find this color in a marker or ballpoint. It’s special.
If Pecan has an obvious flaw, I think it’s a tendency to feather on lower-quality paper. Here is an extreme closeup of Pecan on my normal everyday Staples Sustainable Earth.
I’ll have to test it in different pens, however. Once I buy a bottle.
The ink Pecan reminded me of most was J. Herbin Cacao du Brésil. Here are swabs of the two together.
You can see that Cacao du Brésil has a slightly pinker, or warmer tone and is slightly lighter than Papier Plume Pecan. I have always really liked Cacao du Brésil, but so far, I prefer Papier Plume Pecan. It feels better in the pen, it is easier to read, and I like the cool hue.
Here’s another swab comparison, adding a Sailor ink to the above pair.
The Sailor Kobe is a very nice sepia, and another favorite of mine, but it’s noticeably browner.
Papier Plume is a store in New Orleans that carries, among other things, fountain pens and handmade inks. You can order online, but since Papier Plume comes to the Chicago Pen Show with their line of inks, this year I’m going to preview some of the inks they’ll be bringing.
Actually, I’m going to try to preview a lot of new-to-me inks that are going to be at the show. Partially because all I’ve been doing lately is show work. A major project has been to finalize the list of 300 inks we’re using for the Ink Testing Station. Every major brand will still be represented, but this year will feature a wider selection of inks from excellent boutique brands like Papier Plume. It’s an indie ink extravaganza. Because where else can you try so many different inks?
And trying the inks, myself, is the other reason for the previews. You’ve heard the saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes.” As I learned last year, there’s a pen show corollary: “The person in charge of the Ink Testing Station has no time to try the inks at the show.” So this year, ink previews!
I really love this one.
Fountain Pen Follies 
Ha! I immediately thought of Cacao du Bresil, too! Cool to see that someone so much more knowledgeable than me saw it the same way 🙂 These are both lush!
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I got my 15 ml sample today. I think it is a great color. I loaded the pens up, but haven’t done extensive testing yet. It looks like I will probably be buying this ink once my sample gets low. I really like the color. I did try it on Rhodia dot, Tomoe River & Clairefontaine. It passed those with flying colors. Even if it isn’t great on low quality paper, I’ll probably get at least a 30ml bottle. I will know more after I have tested it further. I am so glad you decided to review Papier Plume inks!
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I want this one, too!
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I love this color. It reminds me of Montblanc Oyster Grey which is similarly grey with brown touches. Which model Toledo is that? Looks like a x10 model, but 710 or 910? Looks likewise gorgeous!
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Yes, it’s the fabulous M710. 🙂
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First, they totally nailed it with this color. Second, being from the South, this ink really does remind me of the shells on some varieties of pecans. I have spend many hours shelling pecans for all those wonderful holiday desserts and candies. It isn’t the holidays if I don’t have sore finger tips from shelling pounds and pound of pecans. 😁
I have been meaning to sample a couple of their inks, but this one wasn’t on my radar before today. I will be adding it to the ever growing list of inks to sample.
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I like the color, it may be a little light for me though. Feathering though might be an issue. I don’t care for feathering, especially with a fine nib. I have a pecan tree in my yard. I’ve always loved pecans. This color is lovely in my opinion.
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It looks great and will be an unusual combo with the Toledo. Unlikely to bump into two people both using those. Nice that WordPress has added two posts on pecan pie for our continued reading!
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I may know nothing about trees or nature, but I am a very experienced pie expert. 🙂
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Pecan is a wonderful color, but your observation that Papier Plume’s inks tend to feather applies to several inks in their line, and not just on cheap copy paper. I think they do better with narrower nibs.
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Thanks for the warning! I have six in total to preview — sounds like you’ve used a lot of these. Pecan’s feathering is within my tolerance range with the fine nib, luckily, because I have to have this ink. 🙂
I wish more ink makers focused on that issue. I wonder if people like you and I may be in the minority in using fountain pens more regularly, and thus encountering a range of paper. It’s probably a chicken and egg situation.
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need … one … now …
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