This 50ml bottle of Jacques Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre (brown) has gold flecks/shimmer, and was originally released in July 2016. This is the fifth ink in the 1670 series. Each 50ml bottle is hand dipped in sealing wax with a stamped "1670" seal on the front and individually packaged in a collector edition box.



It is said that Jacques Herbin was very fond of dried carob pods and that is the reason he lived so long! As the other merchants sailing the Mediterranean sea, he would pick them up in Cyprus, on his way back home. The carob bean is the fruit of the carob tree and was cultivated in the Mediterranean countries since ancient times. Carob pods are known for their great therapeutic properties and were marketed throughout Europe as the "black gold of Cyprus". This new Anniversary ink is called "Caroube de Chypre" because of its intense and deep brown with a hint of red, and of course its gold specks.



Jacques Herbin has been around since the year 1670, hence the name for their premium ink line. The 1670 line launched in 2010 at their 340th anniversary with the ink Rouge Hematite, the first in the 1670 ink series. That ink is a deep red with a gold sheen, and still sells today. They followed up with Bleu Ocean in 2012, and Stormy Grey in 2014, and Emerald of Chivor in 2015. The ink comes in a 50ml bottle with a decorative wax seal on the bottle, and a supple wax cap. The neck of the bottle is fairly narrow, so you may want to decant the ink into a sample vial, another bottle, or use an ink syringe with your big/fat nibbed pens!



It is an ink formulated for use in fountain pens, though Jacques Herbin does put a pretty scary warning on the box about it being highly saturated and how you should clean it out of your pen regularly. The gold sheen is achieved by some sort of fine pigment that is quite visible in the bottle and even in your pen (if you can see in your pen), though we've found that it the Herbin warning is probably a little overstated. You will definitely want to be diligent about maintaining your pens with this ink in it, though no particular caution needs to be taken as long as you're exercising regular pen maintenance.



Due to the amount of particulate in this ink used to achieve the sparking look, you may experience restricted ink flow in some of your pens. We recommend shaking the ink thoroughly before filling and gently rolling the pen in your hands often to keep the shimmer effect consistent. This will also help prevent clogging. You will also want to be diligent about cleaning and maintaining your pen when using this ink.