Hachimonjiya Parlor Eight Caffè Latte - 4ml Fountain Pen Ink Sample

Hue: A warm, milky latte brown – pale café au lait in writing, deepening to dark espresso where it pools. Hachimonjiya haven’t published a colour description for the ink itself, so this is based on my swatches. Despite the dusky pink box, there’s no pink in the ink. It’s a straight warm brown, and in writing it looks noticeably lighter than it does in the bottle.

Shading: Yes, clearly visible in handwriting and in the swab, moving from light milky tan to a deeper coffee brown.

Sheen: None observed.

Shimmer: Gold, and plenty of it. It’s visible even in ordinary handwriting, and in heavier application it gives a rich gold glow over the brown.

Flow: Medium

The interesting bit: Parlor Eight was the café that once sat inside Hachimonjiya’s flagship store in Yamagata. This ink was made to mark the 75th anniversary of their stationery business, and it’s named after one of the café’s favourite drinks. It has a sister ink, Milk Tea, and both were released alongside matching Pilot Capless Decimo fountain pens. Hachimonjiya brought it to the London Autumn Pen Show in October 2026, the first time they had exhibited in London. Fittingly, “hachi” is Japanese for eight.

This is a hand-decanted 4ml sample vial from my own bottle.
Photos are my own swatches on Tomoe River Paper.
I’m a collector and I’m always happy to talk ink, so please message me if you have any questions.