Ink Review: TWSBI 1791 Orange 秋爽

A flaming burst of orange. This is my verdict on the TWSBI 1791 Orange 秋爽. When you call an ink by such a broad color group, it is setting up the ink for exclusion to potential fans. As a self-professed ink ambassador, this ink is so stunning but its English name leaves so much to be said.

Photo by Sabrina Bachmann on Unsplash

This ink was picked to pair with the Y-studio pen as I wanted a wet enough ink to get the pen going again after a period of rest.

The TWSBI 1791 Orange is one of the 6 inks in the TWSBI 1791 collection that were launched in October 2019. It was a head turner because the inks sat in pretty 18ml frosted glass bottles. Fascinating.

I like the translucent red cap on the bottle, reminiscent of the finials on the tip of TWSBI pens.

This ink writes more orange than its real color upon first contact with paper, it almost seems ordinary at zero seconds. Just seconds after, it dries into character.

A little story about the TWSBI 1791 collection:

The inks in the TWSBI 1791 series are inspired by the epic novel “Dream of the Red Chamber” (also known as “Story of the Stone”).

1791 was the year the epic novel was written (by author Cao Xueqin), each with a Chinese name that alluded to notable architecture or places of interest within the book. The 1791 inks are sold separately or as a set of 6 colours.

秋爽, the Chinese name of the ink – literally alludes to the autumn climate cooling down the summer heat. We start to imagine autumn leaves strewn on the ground – a beautiful sight to behold.

In the story “Dream of the Red Chamber”, 秋爽 (Qiu Shuang) is short for 秋爽斋 – a place known for its cultural and literary vibes in the novel. 贾探春 Jia Tan Chun (sibling of male lead) resides here, and has decked out the place to look grand and elegant, using an open layout. Mother Jia’s first banquet in the cluster 大观园 (Da Guanyuan) was held here.

Back to the ink:

If you are not a fan of Chinese literature or the drama fanfare, fret not. I am going to talk about the ink itself.

This ink is perfect for Halloween, and everything in between. How do you think this compares to Apache Sunset from Noodler’s? Let us know in comments below, we want to hear all about it.

With the color oscillating between flaming orange and a ripening red ,this ink reminds me of heirloom tomatoes, or tomatoes on the vine. So hungry thinking about it!

Image from: @missmuffat

I’d also recommend using pens that have more stingy ink flows with this ink. It is a great match, and keeps the “wetness” of the ink in check if you prefer something dry and crisp.

This ink also gives you the best of both worlds: