M200 Café Crème
It certainly seems that Pelikan is in step with the holiday spirit this season as new product announcements continue to roll out of Hanover ahead of the new year, much to the delight of Pelikan aficionados. It was just this past Monday when Pelikan announced the M805 Stresemann which introduces a new anthracite binde paired with a very complimentary rhodium trim. The early chatter seems to indicate that the pen community has received the news of that new model quite enthusiastically. Now, just three days on the heels of that announcement, Pelikan is at it again, this time with a new pen in their Classic line. Their last release in this line was the M200 Cognac Demonstrator which debuted in 2014. It seems that the upcoming year will bring us another beverage inspired model, the M200 Café Crème.
This pen is described by Pelikan as, “A dreamy color combination inspired by the world of coffee.” As you can see by the pictures, the creme colored barrel and brown cap, section, and piston knob certainly are reminiscent of a nice cup of java. Those pieces will be made of high quality resin and complimented by gold-plated furniture. As is standard with this line, the nib will be a gold-plated stainless steel available in EF, F, M, and B sizes. In addition to the fountain pen, a ball point will also be available. It appears that the MSRP is going to be around 125 € for the fountain pen (~ $154) and 115 € for the ball point. This is a special edition release which will only be around for a limited time.
On their website, Pelikan further describes this release by saying, “If you treasure the finer things in life, chances are high that you’ll know how to savour things – be it a perfect cup of coffee, a latte or a smoothly working fountain pen that glides effortlessly across paper. The beautiful coloring of a latte macchiato drink inspired us to create this fountain pen. It was made for the connoisseurs among you – those who know how to enjoy the things that count.”
Whatever your feelings about the product line over the last few years, you have to admit that Pelikan has been hard at work and presents us with a definite vision for 2015. I think these new releases are anything but stale and look forward to seeing what may still be in the pipeline. Based on the Café Crème’s looks, I think that it won’t stay on shelves for long. I do not have a definitive release date available at this time but will update this post once I know more. What do you think about the Café Crème? Personally, this is one that I will definitely be adding to my collection and I expect it to pair nicely with Pelikan’s 4001 Brilliant Brown ink.
M200 Café Crème
K200 Café Crème
Oh, boy… that thing is gorgeous! I am not a coffee drinker but there is something about it that just says “Pelikan”. I think it is the perfect combination. Reminiscent of the green/black of the 120 and other vintage pens – only with updated colors. Will have to keep an eye out for it.
When I got my True Writer Silver Anniversary, I nearly got the Cafe au lait version because of the colors.
Very nice indeed. I hope the pictures are accurate and the barrel has a true cream color. I also hope Pelikan will bring out more two solid color combinations in the future in the 2XX lines. I’m not as excited by this as I am by the Stresemann, but it will be hard to pass up.
I agree that the Stresemann seems more commanding but I like the more affordable price tag that the M2xx line brings with it.
Hitting all the markets:
I think this is smart marketing. As you noted the Stressman is an attractive pen but the price of an 805 series pen will limit the market. Offering the pen in a less expensive range, say M400 or M200 would probably have pulled sales away from the M805 model.
This similarly understated pen in the M200 series will appeal to many and those who could not afford the more pricey Stressman will flock to it. This is a good looking pen, I am a coffee snob, so who knows perhaps one of these will end up in my little shoe box. Just wish they would continue to offer italic nibs with their SE offerings.
I agree that the factory nib offerings are stale and uninspired (aside from the Make a Wish nib) with only EF, F, M, and B to choose from. That said, the factory IM and IB nibs have not proven to be great writers out of the box in my experience and definitely need some work. I wonder if that is why we are not seeing them. Along with the blobby tipping and firm writing experience, this may be yet one more attempt to reduce dissatisfaction from the average customer.
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The 805 and Cafe Creme definitely present themselves as new classics IMHO. Pelikan’s Cafe Creme brings even more sophistication and added luxury to the Classic series. I just wonder when it’ll be released.
I’m expecting the Café Crème sometime in the first quarter of 2015, perhaps by March, but that’s not definitive. I fully agree with your sentiments though.
This pen writes well, even the metal nib in comparison with the regular golden nib, you do not see the difference. It ‘s a special edition and it will be sold out quickly I suppose. A nice pen for a nice price with a good performance.
I agree that the stainless steel nibs can perform every bit as good as a gold and sometimes better. No nib snobbery here.