I’m officially declaring post-Thanksgiving “Cyber Week” over (at least for me), and it’s time to get back to business as usual. What better way to kick off December and the holiday season with an ink called “Peppermint Drop,” from a brand I’ve never reviewed before?
If you spend any time at all on stationery social media, you’ve probably heard of Ferris Wheel Press, a Canadian company based in Toronto that launched on Kickstarter back in 2018. While I appreciated the carefully crafted, vintage look of the brand, I didn't think the products themselves would be for me. I had heard mixed reviews about the initial batch of inks, with reports of feathering, bleed-through, and slow dry times. Ferris Wheel Press also had introduced a fountain pen, the “Brush,” which I found aesthetically interesting but too slim for my taste. Since then, Ferris Wheel Press has expanded their line of products to include more than a dozen inks, notebooks, paper, and other stationery accessories, and apparently they’ve also perfected their ink formulations.
Yet again, I’m a perfect example for why you should occasionally venture outside of your comfort zone. Lisa Vanness was kind enough to send me a 38ml bottle of Ferris Wheel Press “Peppermint Drop,” (or, “Tourbillon de Menthe”, for the francophones out there). Not only is the Ferris Wheel Press ink bottle exquisitely crafted, but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with the ink itself, and to the extent there have been issues with other colors, Peppermint Drop behaves well and might be the perfect green to use in December. I’d describe it as a “true green” with slight hints of teal, and you may get a minor degree of red sheen in swabs or wetter nibs.
Again, while the ink itself is quite good, equal attention needs to be paid to the bottle. Ferris Wheel Press originally received a lot of attention and press in the pen world for their larger, 85ml balloon-shaped bottles, but they have since introduced a smaller, 36ml bottle reminiscent of a vintage perfume bottle (or even a flask). Each bottle has a brass cap, which combined with a rubber interior seal should be durable and minimize leakage. The flat profiles on these bottles also makes them easy to store.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
I’m glad that Vanness sent me this ink to review, because Ferris Wheel Press is one of those brands that I probably would not have chosen to review myself. I suspect a lot of pen enthusiasts have taken a pass due to the brand’s conscious branding and social media promotion, which they take as a sign that these accessories aren’t for serious writers. That’s not the case. Peppermint Drop is an excellent ink that dries quickly, even on coated paper like Clairefontaine, and doesn’t feather or bleed at all. I could easily use this ink as an everyday writer and I’m interested to see if the other options in the Ferris Wheel Press lineup follow suit.
Our friends and sponsors at Vanness Pens carry the full line of Ferris Wheel Press inks, including the ink featured in this review. As I mentioned above, Ferris Wheel Press inks are available in two different bottle sizes: a larger 85ml bottle and a smaller 38ml bottle, priced at $36 and $18 respectively.
Disclaimer: The ink featured in this review was provided by Vanness Pens free of charge, for review purposes. Many thanks to Vanness for making this review possible!