It was mid-2022 when I reviewed my first Teranishi fountain pen ink, and I became quickly enamored. Nostalgic Honey is a favorite, and put the brand squarely on my radar. I’ve used several of their other inks since then, and while the brand hasn’t expanded outside the 16 shades created for the company’s 105th anniversary, they are some of my favorite inks on the market. Heck, at this point, I should just grab all of them because I’m almost halfway there as it stands.
Next in the review queue is Night Time Soda, a shade that I bought at the 2025 Atlanta Pen Show from The Gentleman Stationer. I had another Teranishi ink, Innocent Mauve, in my hands already, but the wisdom of the crowds - aka peer pressure - added this interesting Blue ink to my cart. What can I say, I’m easy!
One look at the images tells you that Night Time Soda is a Blue ink, but can it be described more specifically than that? That’s the fun I’ve been having with this ink since the first time it hit the page. It’s not your standard, ships-with-the-pen Royal Blue, which is a shade I’m fond of. Nor is it Blue Black, which is quite possibly my favorite ink shade of all-time. It’s not Navy or Midnight, and it’s certainly not any of the brighter shades. If anything, it leans towards the dusty side of the ledger, but is much more rich in tone and saturation to be called that.
So what is it? The best I can come up with is Blue+. It’s better than any stock Royal Blue in my book because it offers more on the page. It’s darker, with character. I see hints of Grey, a touch of Purple, a tinge of Red sheen in wetter areas, and decent shading in some lines. All of it is subtle, but collectively makes this ink a step up from normal Blue inks.
The performance of Night Time Soda is the same as all Teranishi inks I’ve tried. It’s right down the middle in wetness, flow, and dry time. Any of these inks could be your all day, every day writer.
For my writing sample, I used one of the most aggressive nibs I have. This Fine Steel Jowo #6 has a Micro-Architect grind done by Mark Bacas, aka The Nib Grinder, and it is sharp! I combined it with smooth Life Noble paper, and the ink behaved consistently the entire time. If you want to see a wider line in action, take a look at the writing sample in my Hooligan Pen Review, which featured Night Time Soda. I need to ink this back up ASAP.
Life Noble paper, left, Col-o-ring, right.
Teranishi Inks run $23 for a 40 ml bottle, which is reasonable in this current ink market. There are better values, and there are worse, so this one sits right in the middle. For the performance and color options they have, it’s about as good as it gets. The only question I have is what actually is “Night Time Soda?” The internet is no help, so maybe you can be.
(I purchased this ink at regular price from The Gentleman Stationer at the 2025 Atlanta Pen Show.)
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