Mystery pen reveal (and review): @idipbananasintocoffee’s very own Bananas and Coffee Pen

Drewnem Pisane outdid themselves. Also: inked with Pride and Prejudice because it tracks

This is also a bit of a story of how I got my name. See, before I met my wife in 2015, I had no smartphone; when we met, I was instructed to create an Instagram account like all them cool kids. I agreed, reluctantly, but I had no idea what my name should be; all I knew was how much I liked bananas and coffee. That’s how my name came about. One time, ONE TIME¹, I dip a banana in a glass of ice cold coffee and tell the world about it, and here I am several years later, being weird and over sharing about my private life on the internet, and suddenly I’m a blogger with a pen that commemorates… myself?

Anyway.

Once upon a time, yours truly became addicted to fountain pens, and then proceeded to collect them, and talk about them, and then ran out of people they could talk pens to, and then made their very own blog to — spoiler alert — talk about pens.

But no one actually talked about what would be the ideal namesake pens for someone who believes that green bananas are superior to any other breakfast food, that bananas belong in coffee, and that fountain pens are the best writing instrument no matter the occasion or writing surface. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really look too much into coffee blanks because, frankly, I do not like the yellow and brown combo, or even just brown; it’s dull and just not me. Besides, a blank is only that, a blank; I would need to find one that spoke to me, then find people who would turn a pen that would look like what I wanted — and I didn’t know what I wanted. Despite the fact I still consider myself a writer — fiction, of course, horror and science fiction and fantasy — I cannot picture anything that takes up space and is, you know, myself in pen form. I also cannot turn pens, and I feel like that is best left to professionals.

After the great success of the pen that commemorates the place I met my wife — and totally changed the trajectory of my life — I offhandedly mentioned to Drewnem Pisane team how it would be great to have a pen that would look like yellowish green bananas… and coffee. We exchanged a few messages, talked about colors, talked about coffee, they mentioned flowers that look like bananas and I asked if coffee beans can be placed in resin, and we kinda left it at that.

Several weeks later, though — or a month or two, it doesn’t matter — I woke up to a video of the most beautiful blank I’ve ever seen.

From the hands of pen makers to my instagram DMs: behold, the origin of bananas and coffee pen!

It was my pen alright. As you can see, the pen wasn’t even a pen at that moment, but I knew immediately that they had struck gold. It took a few more days for it to be done; we finalized the shape — the original idea was that the pen would have pointy ends, much like a banana, but we ended up with the flat top to preserve the small leaves on the bottom that literally look like bananas; we talked about the blurb that goes on the small metal plaque they create for each of their pens; and I was impatient and excited. One small hitch with customs later, the pen was in my hands.

Let it be known that I was the author of that blurb, and I am super proud of it. If anyone needs a technical writer, please hire me I’m not joking I can’t be a social worker forever thanks

Model’s name is Orion, and it came with the Bock 2.3 mm stub, which is a beast of a nib. I’m talking if you write a title with that nib, you bet it will be noticed. I also purchased a separate two tone F Bock nib because I actually want to be able to write normal sized letters with the pen, and that F Bock is one of the best, most satisfying nibs I’ve ever used. I also broke the feed on that nib because I just had to disassemble everything, of course, but that’s on me.

Note the green leaves on the bottom and tell me they don’t look like a bunch of green bananas.

A bit of a different light and that’s how it looks in my hand.

Let’s talk about the pen, shall we?

Both the cap and the body are only partially opaque, meaning you get to see both the nib and the converter at all times, since the resin and additions make way for the clear sections on both parts of the pen. I love that about this pen; I love the fact I can admire the nib and check the ink level without having to unscrew the body from the grip. I love the color of it; if I go to a grocery store, this is the exact color of the banana I will get. And stick it in the fridge so it tastes like a green banana for a week.

I cannot recall the name of the leaves and flowers they used, but they definitely look like bananas. The attention to detail is astounding; there are even bits of bark that look exactly like the butt end of the banana peel. And, of course, we have real coffee beans. Sadly, the pen does not smell like coffee, but the first ink I put in it was — you’ve guessed it — Robert Oster Caffe Crema. Sadly, although I love Robert Oster and think the world of their inks… I think I will find another ink that fits better.

For the review, though, I decided to try an ink that kinda matches the overall vibe of this pen. I would have gone with Prickly Pear, but I think I’ve bored everyone with that including Pen Chalet, who, FUN FACT, apparently ordered more from Van Dieman’s and as of writing of this blog a few days before it is supposed to be published, is now in stock. However, I went another route and just got a sample of an ink that definitely matches the idea behind this pen. I present to you: Wearingeul Pride and Prejudice.

Sample in question.

A quick note about the ink: after trying Wearingeul’s Romeo, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew (there’s a theme here, but I just can’t figure out what…), Robinson Crusoe, Queen of Hearts, I am a Cat, Enki, and Anubis… this may be the least interesting color so far. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful — but they have set the bar too high for me to be swept off my feet with this ink. Another note: Robinson Crusoe is amazing. And absolutely unusable in every pen I’ve tried it. My advice? Get samples of Wearingeul inks before you commit to a bottle. Some just won’t agree with your pens; some you won’t agree with.

This ink, though, flows well and wet, and looks pretty lovely, and if you’re looking for something that looks a bit like Yama Budo and is a bit darker than Noodler’s Cactus Eel and Black Swan in Australian Roses, and is about the same shade but with less sheen than Colorverse Andromeda, this might be a good ink for ya. For me, I’ll try Persephone next. Or The Plague², knowing me.

Now, I will say that the pen is just slightly too long for me, which means it’s just a smidgeon back heavy. However — and this is a big however — the fact I have two different grip sections to choose from means that I can use a different nib (Bock or Jowo) and that will absolutely change the balance. I love Drewnem Pisane for that. They are upfront about not carrying Jowo nibs, but they will accommodate if you want to use a Jowo nib you have. And I happen to have a nib with a banana and also a nib with my initials, both Jowo.

That’s not to say that the two nibs I got with this pen (the stub came with it and I purchased the other one) don’t write well, because they do. In fact, the F nib I got writes as close to a Sailor nib as one can get in a steel nib. I am not kidding. The pleasant, slightly pencil like feedback was a welcome surprise. I’m no stranger to Bock nibs; my favorite nibs are titanium ones by Bock, followed by Sailor and Pilot gold nibs. And this one, my friends, is one of the best steel nibs I’ve used in my life. The 2.3 stub is excellent too; I’ve used other Bock stubs (1.5 and 1.9, to be exact), and they have given me some issues, but this one wrote straight out of the box, and I am super happy about it.

Bananas and Coffee pen will roll off your desk, unlike most bananas, but why would you even put it down? There is absolutely no flaws in it; the surface is glossy smooth and also matte smooth, of course. The cap is wider than the body, meaning it looks like a scepter, and yes, that is exactly what I wanted my pen to be about. The flat tops complement the aesthetic of the pen perfectly. What I am surprised about is the fact parts of this pen look so deep they almost induce vertigo. I get lost looking at it, and I love it.

There is something inherently intimate about having a pen that was made for you. You get to have your dream made into reality, and you get to have it with you for as long as you live. It’s an amazing and humbling experience. And, of course, self-centered and prideful, and I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoy this pen way more than most other pens I have solely based on the fact it was made exclusively for me, and that I am the only person on this earth to have it, and that it indeed embodies everything cool about me and none of the bad sides.

This is Drewnem Pisane’s pic and I just wanted to show off a bit.

I don’t think I have to tell you I love this pen to death. Basically, the only thing I’d change is the “official” name, although I do love the idea of magic gardens full of coffee. That must smell amazing.

Let me know what you think, and if you’d be vain enough to entertain a similar idea. As someone who’s actually a very shy person in real life, I have to say this has to be the single most outlandish request I’ve ever had in my life.

How would you look like if you were a pen?

1. I do it almost every day now though lol

2. Tried both of those. I cannot make Persephone look good at all, it’s dull and utterly uninteresting, and Plague is just… okay.