J. Herbin's Green"Metropolitain": Fountain Pen Ink Review

Jun 1
4 min read

Metropolitain (sometimes called Vert Métropolitain) is a beautifully balanced, medium-toned jade green that offers a vintage, understated elegance on the page.

🖋 Core Properties

Features: (This is just a description of the ink properties)

✅ Standard Fountain Pen Ink

❌ Waterproof/Permanent Ink

❌ Sheen

The Review:

I spent several weeks writing consistently with J. Herbin's Metropolitain to see how it performs in everyday use. This is a standard ink with no sheen or shimmer, but it offers beautiful medium shading—especially if you're using broader nibs where the gorgeous, lighter green color and darker stroke lines really show through. The shading is still present in finer nibs, just much less noticeable. In terms of ink flow, it leans pleasantly toward the wet side, which is a nice departure from some of the historically drier J. Herbin formulas. I experienced absolutely zero flow or clogging issues across all the pens tested, making it an incredibly well-behaved, low-maintenance choice.

When it comes to paper performance and drying times, your choice of nib will definitely play a role. Using a medium nib, it dried in a respectable eight seconds, but that jumped to about 25 seconds when switching to a broad nib. It has no water resistance or waterproof properties to speak of, so you'll want to keep it away from spills. On high-quality paper, it behaves beautifully with no feathering or bleed-through, though I did notice minor bleed-through and slight feathering on cheap copier paper, so pairing it with good paper is ideal. Best of all, it proved to be an excellent, fuss-free all-around ink that is incredibly easy to clean out of pens with absolutely no staining observed during the entire testing period.

To bring the review to life, I’ve included a series of photographs that demonstrate the ink’s behavior under real writing conditions. These images highlight everything from smudge resistance and drying time intervals to the flow characteristics observed during extended writing. You are seeing my authentic comments penned using the ink itself, offering a direct glimpse into its consistency, saturation, and personality of the ink. These snapshots serve not just as proof, but as part of the ink’s narrative—capturing its strengths, quirks, and overall impression.

**Please note that our reviews may differ significantly from what you typically see from other individuals or companies. This is more than just a review—it's an ink test conducted for both our benefit and yours. We use each ink for one and a half to two weeks to gather as much information as possible. During this time, we test a range of nib sizes to evaluate how the ink performs across different writing styles. Some inks are tested with everything from a fine nib to a 1.1 mm stub, while shimmer inks may only be used with broad and stub nibs, as we generally advise against using shimmer inks with fine or extra-fine nibs.

This isn’t a “sit down, open a bottle, and write a review in 15 minutes” kind of approach. Instead, we aim to offer insights based on real-world tests and extended daily use. Keep in mind, every pen writes a little differently, and ink performance can vary from one to another. We also conduct several tests on various types of paper. Most of the time, we use Clairefontaine Triomphe 90g paper as our high-quality benchmark, and Pen+Gear 20lb copy paper as a lower-quality comparison.**

Performance Factors

Saturation & Depth - (How rich and bold the ink appears)

4 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✒️✧) – Deep, rich tones! Pops off the page beautifully.

Shading / Sheen / Shimmer - (How the ink performs against other inks in this category)

3 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✧✧) – Decent shading.

Consistency & Flow - (Is is smooth & reliable while writing?)

5 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️) – Effortless! Ink glides like silk—perfect consistency!

Feathering & Bleed-through - (How much the ink spread/bleed on different paper types)

4 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✒️✧) – Excellent! No feathering on quality paper.

Drying Time - (How fast the ink dries on paper?)

3 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✧✧) – Moderate. Dries in 13-20 seconds, decent for daily use, depending on the nib..

Smudging & Smear Resistance - (How well the ink resists smudging)

4 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✒️✧) – Low smudging! Stays clean with careful handling.

Water Resistance - (How well the ink holds up against moisture)

2 Nibs (✒️✒️✧✧✧) – Mostly dissolves. Some traces remain, but not legible.

Cleaning - (How easy it is to flush ink from a fountain pen?)

5 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️) – Effortless! Practically rinses out with just water—pen is spotless!

Staining – (Does the Ink Leave a Mark Where It Shouldn't after cleaning?)

4 Nibs (✒️✒️✒️✒️✧) - Little to no staining visible. Feed may retain faint traces, but barrel and nib clean easily.

Overall Opinion

Tell us what your overall opinion is:

Jacques Herbin Metropolitain is a pleasure to use. Beautiful color, good flow, and just enough uniqueness to elevate your writing. Not quite perfect, but it rewards regular use and offers a refined experience without fuss.

Interested in this ink?

Check it out now!!

Jacques Herbin Fountain Pen Ink - Metropolitain - 30ml

$15.50

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