The Christmas season has already arrived in the Philippines, and for many of us, that means company holiday parties, camaraderie, reunions, feasts, and, of course, raffles! Raffles are one of my favorite parts of the season because I’ve had a lucky streak—winning nearly every raffle draw at my previous company’s Christmas parties. I’ve also been lucky in other raffles at events; the last big win scored me my first Google Mini speaker from an online seller. Just last week, my Instagram account was drawn as one of the three winners of gift check from Everything Calligraphy which I used to buy the Vinta Inks’ 2024 A Holiday Feast ink box set. I have been wanting to get this set since its launching early this month.
If you’re unfamiliar with Vinta Inks, it’s a Philippine-based company renowned for creating ink colors inspired by elements of Filipino culture—myths, festivals, local delicacies, and landscapes. This year’s holiday set highlights three popular treats often associated with Christmas and the cooler season: puto bumbong, tsokolate, and bibingka.
According to Foxy Folksy, a Filipina chef, puto bumbong is a purple rice cake (see image from her website below). It’s a popular treat during the Christmas season, often sold outside Catholic churches by food vendors catering to the crowds attending Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi—a cherished tradition of nine consecutive early morning masses leading up to Christmas Eve. You can easily spot a puto bumbong booth by the familiar waft of steam and the line of eager customers waiting to be served this delicacy on a banana leaf, topped with brown sugar, grated coconut, and sometimes a sprinkle of cheese. It’s a beloved part of Filipino holiday festivities!
Tsokolate is simply the Filipino term for hot chocolate which is often served back in the day with hot pan de sal and usually made of local tablea chocolates. Bibingka is another delicacy made of rice which, unlike puto bumbong, can be available all year round. Here’s a photo of bibingka alongside a cup of chocolate drink from Cafe Tanglaw:
Before I get too distracted by these delicious-looking food photos and run out to grab some, let me wrap up this article! Vinta Inks curated this beautiful holiday set of three inks in a specially designed box (Instagram post below), each color inspired by three aforementioned Filipino delicacies – puto bumbong, bibingka, and tsokolate. The best part? I won this set through Vinta’s “Inktubre” (Inktober) contest by sharing swatches of their inks on my Instagram! Here’s the post from the day I received the set. It was pouring due to Typhoon Kristine, so I want to give a huge thanks to Flash, the courier, for delivering it despite the storm. I really appreciate the effort and hope the riders stayed safe and healthy in those challenging conditions.
And these are the swatches and sketches I’ve made so far with these inks:
It may not be immediately obvious in the swatches above, but both the Bibingka and Puto Bumbong inks are shimmer inks. Puto Bumbong, true to its namesake, is a rich, deep violet with generous gold shimmer. It’s a wet ink, and I love how smoothly it flows without any skips in my Lamy Vista fitted with a 1.1 stub nib. I chose this transparent pen so I could watch the shimmery ink slosh around in the converter—a small, therapeutic pleasure. Bibingka is a warm golden yellow with a subtle silver shimmer, while Tsokolate is a chocolate brown that varies from light to dark depending on your pen’s nib size.
And the latest sketch I made of the ink set is of ube ensaymada – a local bread that is sometimes filled with purple yam (ube) or red mung beans and smeared on top with generous amount of margarine or butter and sprinkled with sugar. I sketched and painted this one using my Lamy Vista and fine watercolor round brush. I also used all the inks in the set, tsokolate, bibingka, and puto bumbong, for the sketch.
I’m thoroughly enjoying these inks—not only for their beautiful colors but also for the nostalgic treats they bring to mind. The set arrives in a thoughtfully designed box, with each ink housed in a 15 ml amber glass jar featuring a secure seal cap. If you’re interested in picking up this set, check out the link below! (This isn’t an affiliate link, so I’m not earning anything by sharing—just excited about the inks, which I won through their Inktober contest!) Be sure to follow Vinta Inks on Instagram for upcoming holiday promos—I’m sure there are more treats in store as Christmas approaches!
Hope you enjoyed reading this one. And to my fellow Pinoys and fountain pen enthusiasts, let’s support local businesses like Vinta!
xoxo,
Grass
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