In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review and Give Away!: Monteverde Sweet Life

Posted on 129 Comments

By Jessica Coles

Today’s post is not about a brand new ink line and not a new company. Instead, this collection is from a well-trusted company with a fun twist on a collection of bright, happy inks; Monteverde Sweet Life! Please note, these inks are named after popular desserts but they are not scented. They may make you crave sweets, though!

Monteverde Sweet Life consists of 10 inks; Pumpkin Cake, Iced Cookie, Chocolate Pudding, Cherry Danish, Strawberry Shortcake, Birthday Cake, Blue Velvet, Key Lime, Mango Mousse, and Blueberry Muffin. These inks are packaged in a durable box with a magnetic flap closure inside a brightly colored sleeve.

It bothered me at first that each ink was again packaged in its own box (excess packaging is never good), but I realized it helps tremendously to protect the bottles from hitting each other during shipping.

First, swatches of all ten inks together. I’ll get into comparing each ink to others below.

Starting with the reds.

Monteverde Strawberry Shortcake is a bright, cheery red, somewhere between Taccia Aka Red and KWZ Grapefruit.

Monteverde Cherry Danish is darker, very close to Robert Oster Burgundy.

A couple of brown inks now.

This ink is a somewhat unique color – Monteverde Pumpkin Cake. Akkerman SBRE Brown is the closest in my collection. There’s a hint of orange in the brown.

Monteverde Chocolate Pudding almost shows a black sheen in the brown. There’s still a good amount of orange in this brown, but Chocolate Pudding is much darker than Pumpkin Cake.

The two brightest inks in the collection!

Monteverde Mango Mousse is slightly closer to orange than Ferris Wheel Press Buttered Popcorn and shows up darker in writing than Stipula Sapphron. Lots of shading as well.

Monteverde Key Lime Pie is probably my favorite in the Sweet Life collection. It is a vibrant green, close to Robert Oster Green Lime but Key Lime Pie is not as likely to show crystallization on the pen nib.

Now to the blues in the collection.

Monteverde Iced Cookie is a beautiful turquoise/teal close to Private Reserve Ebony Blue and shows plenty of shading. I love this color and it has been in a pen at all times since I received the collection.

The second blue in the collection, Monteverde Blue Velvet Cake, has a beautiful dark red sheen that isn’t overpowering. Since the sheen is a secondary color for the ink, smearing isn’t an issue.

I’ve saved the best color for last. PURPLE.

Monteverde Blueberry Muffin is a beautiful purple (ok, not quite purple really) that leans heavily towards red, almost a burgundy. Robert Oster Dark Chocolate is probably the closest. There is a faint dark green sheen in heavily inked areas.

Monteverde Birthday Cake is a gorgeous mid to dark purple. Writing with Birthday Cake shows lighter than the swatch – TWSBI Royal Purple is the closest in my collection although it has more red undertones.

Now for the most exciting part! We will be giving away two bottles of Monteverde Sweet Life inks to two different lucky winners! Monteverde Cherry Danish and Monteverde Blueberry Muffin. Rules are below the photo – good luck to everyone!

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite dessert. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Winners will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review and giveaway were provided free of charge by Yafa for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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129 comments

  2. My favorite dessert is old fashioned yellow butter cake with rich chocolate frosting. Even better with a glass of cold milk! I have a small sample of the Monteverde blueberry muffin ink and I think it perfectly captures the purple staining of the muffin bread/cake? Anyway, it’s got me craving an awesome blueberry muffin!

  4. My favorite dessert is Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter World ice cream…exclusive to Target. Get in my tumz!

  5. Banana Cream Pie, any day!! I was the only one in my family who liked it, so I only ever got it for my birthday, but it made my birthday the best dessert-day of the year!

  6. I’m a cheesecake fan myself. However, anything covered in caramel is enough to make me pounce.

  7. I love anmitsu (Japanese dessert) – all the fruit, multi-textures, and colors are extremely appealing on every level for me.. I had some just last night!

  8. My favorite is Apple Pie with really good sharp cheddar. We have been married for quite a while and am still convincing my wife pie makes a great birthday dessert.

  10. I’m a sweet tooth kind of girl and it’s my weakness. I love gummies and will sit and eat an entire bag or until my stomach hurts, whichever comes first. For desserts it’s hard to pick just one. My fondest memory and there for dessert that stands out in my mind is my grandpas homemade peach ice cream. He would make it on a year special rare occasion because it took all day and he hand cranked it. The best was when it was done and licking the beater bars with the fresh cream on them.

  11. Many years ago, as a child, my favorite was the classic New England Blueberry Muffin produced by the (now long gone) department store Jordan Marsh. They were large, and the top was fully crusted with sugar. One of my earliest childhood memories is of going to see Disney’s Cinderella on the big screen, and then getting JM Blue’s afterward! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

  12. My absolute favorite dessert is Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream, ideally from Butterfield’s Ice Cream, in Dover-Foxcroft, ME.

    Other options in that space will suffice as well.

  13. Plain Cheesecake (preferably with oreo cookie crust) is my desert island dessert. Out of the Monteverde options, I’d eat key lime pie. I had key lime pie once a long time ago and loved it. Never had it since. It’s like, I could have it, but I never choose it. Seems very odd to me.

  17. My favorite dessert is scones. I used to buy them at a bakery in Chicago but moved out of the city. These were huge sized scones. Otherwise I lack a sweet tooth.

  20. My favorite dessert is Pumpkin Bread Caramel Pudding. I use to make it every year for Thanksgiving, whether we had the feast at our house or were invited elsewhere. It’s been a few years since I’ve made it–I’m hungry now

  22. My favorite, if I still ate such delights, is Death By Chocolate cake. Sadly, due to lack of self control, i have banned myself from such extravagances.

  23. Gotta have that Sweet Potato Pie, it’s one of the few that will break me down and cause me to eat a whole pie still.

  24. My favorite dessert is cheesecake. Doesn’t matter what flavor…lemon, pumpkin, blueberry, chocolate chip, plain. Doesn’t matter if it is a fancy baked one or a simple-from-the box refrigerator variety. I love them all. It is a nostalgic dessert because it was what my mom made for company; the kind made with pudding mix, cream cheese and a pre-made graham cracker crust. Very retro! I guess that probably gives away my age. Anyway, thanks for the review and the giveaway. I received samples of several of these wonderful inks in an Ink Flights subscription so it was nice to see your review of all the colors.

  25. A huge banana split sundae with 3 scoops of ice cream with strawberries, hot fudge and caramel topping, whipped cream and cherries,,,,,extra insulin.

  27. Moms cherry stollen. At Christmas she’d make a winternacht version with a center of marzipan. Then again moms cherry-cheese streusel….

  28. I don’t eat sweets much any more but without a doubt my absolute favorite is our traditional last-day-in-Disneyland treat from the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street: chocolate dipped waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream, one of which is always mint chocolate chip.

  29. My favorite dessert is the chocolate mousse dessert at Barnes and Noble. It has a cookie crust and shaved chocolate scattered across the top. Oh, my goodness, it is delicious! So creamy and chocolatey. My husband teases me when I have the first bite. He says he knows what ecstasy looks like now. I always laugh.

    Thanks for your reviews of these inks. At first, I thought they were so much like the other colors, why bother? But then I tried Blueberry Muffin on Tomoe River paper, and I loved it! So I know the other colors have some hidden surprises.

  34. Rich chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Or: peppermint ice cream with hot fudge. One of those!

  35. I’m a basic Chocolate Chip Cookie kind of person. I’ve been rocking a new recipe that has the fluffiest cookies with tons of chocolate chips. So good.

  36. Cream pies–chocolate, coconut, and on and on. But they have to be made well. Store bought usually not that good.

  39. These inks are beautiful ! I would definitely have to say my favorite type of dessert is raspberry stracciatella gelato – I’m a sucker for any fruit/chocolate combo and the creaminess of gelato makes it right up my alley

  40. Favourite dessert: every where I go, especially in the southern States, I have to have key lime pie. I don’t make it myself as there’s no adventure in that 🙂

  45. Favorite dessert is pumpkin pie . . . unfortunately it’s not a staple dessert here in Argentina.

  46. The Igloo Cake – a recipe our family has been making since it was served at my parents’ wedding shower in 1961. It’s basically a yellow cake with a pudding-like chocolate sauce marbled in – it’s made into a dome shape and frosted with whipped cream. Soooooooooo goooooood

  47. My favorite dessert…is it possible to have a single one? My childhood go-to was German’s Chocolate Cake. I love that coconut!

  48. Peach cobbler. The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, I firmly believe, was the peach.

  49. Strawberry Elton Mess – very English and absolutely scrumptious! Fresh strawberries, crushed meringue and whipped cream mixed together. Great with Prosecco on a Summers day.

  50. I have a side baking business and am a big sweets lover, so this is a difficult question! I love strawberry shortcake (was super excited to see that as one of the Monteverde colours!), French macarons, and baklava 🙂 Awesome review, loved seeing all the colours together! I have Key Lime Pie, Cherry Danish, and Strawberry Shortcake. Hoping to add Pumpkin Cake and Iced Cookie to my collection too! 🙂

  51. Strawberry Eton Mess – very English and absolutely scrumptious! Fresh strawberries, crushed meringue and whipped cream mixed together. Great with Prosecco on a Summers day.

  53. I could make my last meal on coconut cake! Or Key Lime Pie. Or Dove chocolate. Or….you get the idea!

  56. Banana cream pie! Don’t forget the Nilla Vanilla Wafers. When planning a meal, always start with dessert first and work back to see what will fit.

  58. My absolute favorite dessert is Creme Brulee. I can’t get enough of it. Once, I ordered two specifically do I didn’t have to share with my daughter, we each got our own.
    Thanks for the reviews, you always do a fantastic job!

  60. My favorite is a cake I have for my birthday every year. It is rich and moist enough, it doesn’t need frosting. It is Black Devil’s Food Cake from an issue of The American Heart Association Cookbook. Mmm, it’s a cake made from scratch that is so chocolaty delicious, I want some right now.

    Thank you for the giveaway.

  61. Ice cream! Turkey Hill Cookie Dough is still my ultimate favorite, but a very close second is Stewart’s Shops’s Crumbs Along the Mohawk. Or maybe Crumbs edges into the lead because of the perfect name= local connection + pun. You could say the name has local… flavor. (rimshot Like I said, points for puns.)

  63. It was a hard decision to pick a favorite dessert out of all the offering, but in the end Monteverde Blue Velvet Cake won !

  64. Key Lime Pie or Strawberry Shortcake which ever comes into my line of sight first. Now I’m going to dream of these deserts for days.
    Love this website!

  65. My favourite dessert was my Nanas Lemon Meringue Pie, OMG, it was sooooo delicious. Tart lemon filling, decadent crust and a delicate meringue top. Mmmmmmmmm

  66. Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with powered sugar sprinkled on top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

  67. My favorite dessert is anything sweet and that I have in front of me at the moment. I love them all (unfortunately). And the same with inks!

  68. My favorite dessert is cheesecake! I’m not picky, any kind, shape, flavor! Give me ALL the cheesecake! Thanks for the opportunity to win these inks!

  69. My two favorite desserts are Key Lime Pie and cheesecake with strawberries (and sauce). The former I’m more picky about/have higher standards for, so if I’m at a restaurant and both are options, I’ll often go with cheesecake.

  70. My favorite dessert tends to change day-to-day, but Key Lime pie is always incredibly hard to pass up!

  73. My favorite dessert is fruit tart. Fresh fruit with a custard and delicious crust, yum! I think I have to jaunt out and get one now!

  74. Why this question is so hard to answer: my bridemate makes a number of absolutely delicious desserts. Here’s my answer: Banana Pudding Surprise. Not only does she make the banana pudding without the ucky meringue on top (she has a cream cheese topping), but she sneaks in a layer of chocolate pudding. I could eat a tub of that stuff. I do have the Birthday Cake ink and like it a lot.

  75. My favorite dessert is: Italian beef. Yes, I know, not a dessert, but I don’t like sweets and Italian beef (when it is slow cooked with peppers and seasoned perfectly) is my favorite meal

  77. tiramisu. the coffee and ladyfingers taste so good, and when i found out my biology teacher’s favourite dessert was tiramisu too, she instantly became my favourite teacher

  78. Wow, those colors are stunning!

    Right now my favorite dessert is a slice of buttercream frosted cake. Specifically, if possible, huckleberry lemon cake with vanilla buttercream. So good, and hard to find!

  80. I LOVE that blue velvet cake ink! Those bronzy sparkles are amazing. And it gives me such fan vibes thinking about Percy Jackson and his Blue Velvet birthday cake every year.

    My favorite dessert is a coconut cream pie that I reproduced from one served at a Pittsburgh restaurant that closed a few years back. It’s a coconut cream pie, but the most epic version possible. The bottom crust is a coconut macaroon crust, then a layer of salty caramel, then the coconut cream filling. (Make sure you use full-fat cream–no skimping!) Lightly whipped cream on top arranged into perfect pillows, and then toasted coconut flakes. It’s too beautiful to convey in words, really.

  87. My favorite is plain cottage cheese with lots of honey. Gives me the feeling that finally dinner is over.

  88. My favorite dessert ,at this time,is three layered yellow cake with pineapple icing.

  90. Thanks so much for the opportunity! My favorite dessert is a homemade chocolate chess pie. It goes great with a pint of cold milk. It’s so easy to make, too! I haven’t had one in a while… I think I need to make one now…

  92. Forever and always my favorite dessert is a hot fudge sundae. No cherry on top though; I don’t like those.

  94. As a southern Louisiana boy, it’s pecan pie for me. The rich pecans and the smooth, custardy sweetness of the filling after a big plateful (or three) of crawfish bisque – mmm, mmm. Tastes like home!

  95. Warm blueberry tart served with a small scoop of an amazing locally made lemon ice cream. Thank you for offering the giveaway!

  97. Betty’s Pies in Two Harbors MN makes the best pies. My fave is the key lime pie when they blend it up with ice cream, amazing! I’ve been wanting to try the key lime ink.

  98. my favorite dessert is cherry pie ala mode there’s a fun bakery nearby called random order that makes the best pies and i sometimes ask my husband for one of them for my birthday instead of cake!

  99. Persimmon Pudding (not very common, and requires the right persimmons).

    (waves to web monkeys)

  100. My favorite desserts are desserts baked with love shared with friends. Tiramisu, cookies, brownies, tortes, marshmallows, chocolates… it doesn’t matter what the dessert is as long as it’s shared with good people.

  101. My favorite desert ever is my mother’s homemade flan. It’s this caramel custard that has this perfect, creamy texture and consistency and I love the color it has. Now I want an ink color like that!

  103. German chocolate cake, hands down. I could eat it until my stomach exploded! Provided I had some skim milk to go with it, of course.

  104. Oh, so many desserts to choose from! I guess I’d have to say cherry cheesecake or peach cobbler – yum!

  105. My favorite dessert has got to be Key Lime Pie – especially the one made at Joe’s Crab Shack. Yum!!

  108. You gotta love Chocolate Meringue Kisses!! They are small and delightful! You can just keep popping them in your mouth and for some reason it feels like you never get full from them! Delicious… PLUS they are easy to make with only about 5 ingredients!!!

  109. Wonderful review! Thank you for taking the time to review these for us.

    My favorite dessert is peach pie a la mode. We don’t have it too often, generally in the summer when the peaches are their best.

  111. My favorite dessert is any combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I love peanut butter cups that have actual peanut butter inside (I’m not a huge fan of the Reese’s peanut butter cup filling). All of these inks are beautiful! 🙂

  112. I love strawberry shortcake – or strawberries with whipped cream — or strawberries drizzled in balsamic vinegar. I love strawberries, but only when they are warm and juicy, which happens only for a few glorious weeks each year.

  114. Love these colors! My favorite dessert is molten chocolate cake (aka Lava cake or petite gateau) with vanilla or coffee ice cream. Now I need to go find some because I am having a serious craving!

  116. My favorite dessert is Kitchen Sink brownies, which is made with Oreos, two types of sugar, two types of nuts and three types of chocolate pieces in the batter. It’s only about a thousand calories per 2 inch square.

  118. My favorite dessert of all times is Gooey Butter Cake. So awesome and wonderfully St. Louis. If you haven’t heard of it or tried it I highly suggest you give it a shot. It’s not hard to make at all.

  122. My mom makes a fantastic Finnish cheesecake with apples and cinnamon. It’s much lighter and less sweet than American cheesecakes.

  123. Chocolate mousse. I still remember the first time I had it, I was 7 or 8 and utterly confused when my mom said we’d be having ‘moose’ for dessert. Two big lessons: it’s a yummy dessert and mousse is not the same as moose.

  124. Key lime pie made with only three ingredients: key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream.

  125. Of those desserts, I’d choose pumpkin cake, but I can pretend the birthday cake is a carrot cake.

  126. Favorite dessert is peach cobbler a la mode. Or a root beer float made with Haagen Dazs vanilla and rootbeer that’s cold (no strong rootbeer brand preference). These inks look excellent.

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