KWZ Meet Me in St. Louis: A Limited Edition Merlot-Red Fountain Pen Ink

Introduction

KWZ is an ink company based in Poland near Warsaw, founded in 2012 by Konrad Wojeciechowski, whose initials give the brand its name. At the time of founding, Konrad was a PhD student in polymer chemistry and organic synthesis, a fountain pen user who wasn’t satisfied with the inks available to him, so he started making his own. KWZ Meet Me in St. Louis is a limited edition ink created for the St. Louis Pen Show, a relatively young show that has quickly earned a reputation for strong organization and quality vendors.

Who This Ink Is For

This is a limited edition release tied to a pen show, so it suits collectors who enjoy show-exclusive inks as well as anyone hunting for a refined dark red that behaves well on everyday paper. If you like wine-toned reds and want something with a story behind the name, this one fits that brief neatly.

Color and Comparisons

KWZ Meet Me in St. Louis is a darker, almost merlot-like red. Its nickname is Missouri Norton: the Norton is Missouri’s state grape, and there is a wine that looks very much like this color. Against similar inks, it sits close to Ferris Wheel Press Candy Marsala, though slightly lighter and not quite as saturated. Other useful comparison points include Diamine Oxblood, Private Reserve Burgundy Mist, Diamine Red Dragon, Levenger Pomegranate, and Monteverde Cherry Danish.

On the Page: Saturation, Shading, and Sheen

This is a fairly saturated ink. There isn’t a ton of difference in shading between passes, and both shading and sheen sit at medium to low levels. On Tomoe River paper, heavily applied ink darkens considerably, though that is true of most inks when applied thickly. Bleeding is minimal overall; only very heavy application showed a little.

On Rhodia 80 g paper, ghosting and bleed are low. Even with four passes using a 2.4 mm Pilot Parallel, there was very little ghosting, perhaps a tiny trace. It rates well in that regard.

Flow, Drying Time, and Water Resistance

Flow comes in at medium-high, and drying time lands between 15 and 30 seconds. In water testing, the ink held up for a short period, but over time water dissolved the writing completely. It doesn’t claim to be waterproof, so that is worth keeping in mind for documents you want to preserve.

Chromatography

The chromatography on this ink is pleasingly straightforward. It separates into different shades of red, with some pinks and darker reds toward the end of the strip. There are no browns, golds, or other surprise tones hiding in the mix, which keeps the ink’s character consistent.

Pens Used for Testing

Three pens carried the writing samples. A Lamy Dialog CC with a fine gold nib, a shorter variation on the Dialog 3 with a different nib size. A Kilk Camera Laterna with a broad stainless steel nib, a movie-themed pen with film detailing around the band and a spinning film-reel finial with a remarkably smooth mechanism. And a Diplomat Elox with a medium stainless steel nib, a variation on the Diplomat Aero design with grooves and orange accents.

Buying Advice

KWZ Meet Me in St. Louis was available to purchase at the St. Louis Pen Show as a limited edition. If you missed the show, availability will depend on remaining stock, so acting quickly matters with show-exclusive inks. If a deep, wine-inspired red with low ghosting and well-behaved flow sounds appealing, it is an easy recommendation for the right buyer.

Conclusion

KWZ Meet Me in St. Louis delivers a distinctive Missouri Norton-inspired red with strong on-paper behavior: a fairly saturated color, medium to low shading and sheen, low ghosting and bleed on quality paper, and a medium-high flow. The lack of water resistance is the main caveat, but for everyday journaling and correspondence it is a characterful limited edition worth seeking out.