This ink is an absolute standout. A refined, antique black with a character that feels almost musical, it delivers a writing experience that’s both elegant and deeply satisfying. The moment it hits the page, you can tell it’s not just another black ink — it has presence, depth, and a subtle historical gravitas that fits its namesake perfectly.

Color
A beautifully muted black with a vintage soul. It’s not a harsh, modern carbon black; instead, it leans into a softer, more classical tone — the kind of black you’d imagine in an old manuscript or a composer’s handwritten score. It’s rich without being overwhelming, and it maintains a consistent darkness across nib sizes.

Flow
Outstanding. This ink glides with a smoothness that feels almost intentional, like it’s guiding your hand across the page. No skipping, no hesitation — just a steady, confident line. It behaves well in both wet and dry pens, which is rare for darker inks.

Shading
It’s not dramatic shading, but it’s tasteful — the kind that adds texture and personality without distracting from the writing.

Overall Impression
Most definitely one of the finest black inks you can buy. It’s dignified, reliable, and beautifully crafted. If Johann Sebastian Bach himself were to choose an ink, this would be the one — timeless, disciplined, and quietly brilliant.

I picked up several bottles myself, and honestly, I’m tempted to stock even more. How many bottles are you planning to buy next time you visit the Goulet Pen Company?

Glad you still cary it.

Nice deep reddish brown color. It flowed well on a brush - I haven't inked it up in a pen, but tested it as part of my swatch book and was consistent with other quality colors - no super runny behavior, full pigment at full or diluted.

This ink color is absolutely amazing! From color to flow and to shading - most probably the best ink you can buy!
I bought six bottles from the Goulet Pens Company. How many bottles you are planning to buy?

My favorite color of ink. Dries quick enough for me that with a EF Kaweco nib I can use it in a notebook that ends up getting closed soon after writing with it.

This is such a great ink! It makes you believe you are writing in the 17th or 18th century. Precisely what I was looking for indeed old chap!

A really nice ink, not quite as red/purple as the web site sample but quite satisfying. Dries quickly with no bleed. Not a document ink but surprisingly stable when rinse tested.My new go to ink.

Really nice character! Like this ink a lot! Nice burgundy and purple hues and just the right amount of brown. Can see the color in EF to B. Thumbs up on this one. Works in a professional environment and casual.

A perfect ink .. and it looks great in my Wer A new Pelikan M200 Smoky Quartz pen ..

Fortunately I bought a TWSBI 580 with a broad nib at the same time and loaded it with this wonderful ink. When I compare it to the other brown inks in my collection, it is the most interesting, stunning of them all. There are a few inks like this one and like Shin Kai and especially de Atramentis Jane Austen, that bring a smile to my face and make me happy to be fountain penning again for the first time since early adolescence--yes I am part of the last generation forced to use fountain pens (with lever loads) and denied the use of the newly developed ball point pen! Am grateful for your policy of publishing both positive and negative reviews of all your products so that we can make somewhat informed choices. Try a sample--you may buy a bottle!

The color takes some growing used to; it isn't as dark on the page as the sample shows. Still, I'm enjoying the look on the written page. The flow is good and drying time, too.

The color shown in the swatch sample is very much more a burgundy-maroon, but the color I received is more in a brownish hue. That being said, I absolutely love the color, despite it being not what I expected! I've used De Atramentis' inks before in Germany, and it's the exactly quality I experienced there as well.

Stunning rich colour, I have no other like it . I like the painting of Johann S Bach on the wrap around not only is it lovely but easy to spot amongst all the other ink bottles I have lined up. I really like De Atramentis inks and the price for handmade inks is reasonable meaning I can have many different colours.

A marvelous ink--not so much "brown" as caput mortuum, which is one of those deep colors that hovers between rich brown and a deep dark purple. (It's got another name, "mummy brown," which is worth Googling if you want to know a slightly creepy chapter in the history of oil painting.) But it behaves flawlessly in all my pens, has a wonderfully archaic look, is easy on the eyes on a range of shades of paper, and never gets boring. A new go-to.

This ink is perfekt for my everyday writing, either it is that im taking notes, writing in my diary or anything else. The colour is a really dark purple which dries fast, flows good and has beautiful shading quality. My writing looks sophisticated and elegant. im definatly going to buy another bottle after this one gets empty.

I was looking for a dark red/brown wine looking ink and this hit the nail on the head. The flow is great and the saturation is amazing. I feel as though I am writing with a color similar to that which was used 300+ years ago. If you are looking for a classic ink with a great feel, give this a try. My only complaint is that it is a little pricey for the amount you get.

Simply put, I adore this ink. It's a lovely shade of brown with a hint of purple that has a nice, warm, old-fashioned feel to it. I know I'm happy with an ink if I reach for more of the same when my pen runs out, as opposed to trying a new sample of something else. De Atramentis J. S. Bach is a winner for me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do--I confess I mainly wanted to try it because Bach is one of my favorite composers. I find it to be a very sophisticated-looking color, and it is now my favorite go-to ink.

Yes you read the review title correctly...an authentic black ink. My day job is a classical musician, specializing in early music (up until about 1760), most specifically the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). During the time of Bach (before fountain pens became in vogue) in the various locales in Germany (where he lived and worked) ink manufacturers made ink for use in quill (not specifically used for composing music). Usually these inks were very dark and either on the red/purple side or (more likely) on the brownish side. Johann Sebastian Bach was not familiar with our current concept of pure black ink; I am sure he would have loved it! Based on studying the autograph manuscripts of his music, we can tell that he used a reddish-brown ebony ink very similar to the specific ink by De Atramentis bearing his name. Because of the color and the authenticity (which I am unsure the ink company was aware of/intended), I knew I just had to get a bottle of this. If you aren't a musician, you can certainly use this ink to achieve an antiquated look (especially if you use off-white/ivory paper). Many reviews of this ink are trying to approach this ink as a red or brown or purple/eggplant ink but if you look at this as an authentic (not pure) black, perhaps that will attract you more to this. Technically speaking, the ink is very wet and dries a bit slower than other De Atramentis inks; there's not a ton of shading, if any but I feel that is intentional to the historical performance of this ink. I used a Visconti Rembrandt in a Medium nib with this ink, which seems to do quite well. So if you would like to go back in time to 1713 and write a letter to your beloved or just a friend, pick up a bottle of De Atramentis Johann Sebastian Bach. I promise you will be glad you did! 5 out of 5 stars!!

This ink has become my EDC. I love the shading from a deep purple to a dark brown. It's loaded in a platinum Plasir, and it flows beautifully.

Bought this ink for its color, and it doesn't disappoint! Great shading and variation with the broad nib through which it's flowing.

This is a lovely ink, a beautiful dark ebony brown. For me, the undertones of purple aren't easy to see, but that may partly because I have my pens tuned to write fairly wet. A drier pen may reveal more of the burgundy.Nice, free-flowing ink that feathers quite a bit on cheaper paper. (I even got some feathering on one of my Clairefontaine notebooks, which is very unusual.)It's very saturated, and I got really no shading, but again: my pens write pretty wet. This one dried quite slowly for me, after 20 seconds I was still getting smears. Once it's dry, though, I got no smearing at all (as some slow-drying inks are prone to do).

This is a very interesting brown. It is dark but not near as much as Diamine Chocolate Brown. There is a slight purple hue to it and I find it very pleasant. It has lovely shading and flows extremely well. I think it is definitely worth investigating.

My sample looked much more brown than the online sample. I was hoping for a little more of a burgundy look. However, I give it a rave review for flow. I have a BB nib that has NEVER written well (tends to skip and stop flowing) or started up after a day or so, but with this ink, it suddenly behaved beautifully, day after day. I may have to buy it just so I can use this pen.

I'm increasing impressed with the whole line of De Atramentis Inks. Clean well, great flow. This color is terrific. Ideal for something different in the office. Shades well, and with a wet nib it's really a great professional ink which I have many of.

Used this ink with pointed pen. Loved the slight variation in color as it dried. Looks vintage. Doesn't bleed.

I am enjoying my new ink and hope to try other De Atramentis inks in the near future

It's a red violet that can read almost brown on paper.

The De Atramentis line of ink is very appealing and it is my intention to buy several bottles in future.

I love every De Atramentis color I've ever tried, but this one is high up on my list of favorites. A deep burgandy-purple, I expect this to be one of my frequently used inks.