Handmade Fine Lacquer Smoke Ink Stick for Chinese Japanese Calligraphy and Painting Cdq EASYOU

When I ordered this ink stick from Amazon, I believed that it was the first ink stick I ever had that was made from lacquer soot - all the others being made from pine soot.Soon thereafter, I learned from another ink stick entry on Amazon, that in fact one of most highly-regarded ink sticks in my collection was in fact not only made from lacquer-soot, but was also made - like this ink stick under review - in the Hukaiwen ink factory in China, in a slection which is 50% more expensive than this lacquer ink stick under review.According to an article on Google, the Hukaiwen ink factory is "the oldest and most famous that has survived and kept running till today." I had never heard of it, till Amazon. Hukaiwen ink sticks are generally regarded as superior in quality, but remember that Hukaiwen ink sticks are offered in a range of prices.Most of the Chinese ink sticks offered on Amazon are Hukaiwen ink sticks - made from either pine soot, oil soot, or lacquer soot - and are offered in a range of prices - and, presumably, in quality.This ink stick reviewed here is also distinguished as being "handmade+ and only a few of the Hukaiwen ink sticks offered on Amazon are designated as "handmade." To my knowledge, this is the first handmade ink stick I have ever owned.For more information on the Hukaiwen ink factory, google "hukaiwen" and you will find several articles about the Hukaiwen ink factory.Lacquer ink sticks are supposedly made from the burnt soot from raw lacquer, but there are various ways of of making lacquer, including different basic ingredients. In this regard, one article on Google said, of Hukaimen ink sticks, that they are made from "secret ingredients (highly confidential)."As a general rule, ink sticks made from lacquer are favored for painting.To conclude, The surface "sheen" of the ink stick under review is "flat" or "matte," which gives a surface appearance similar to an ink stick made from pine soot. One can also slightly discern some grain in this lacquer-based ink stick, which would not be the case if its surface "sheen" was of high "gloss." However, I do not yet know if the matte surface sheen of this ink stick is only "skin deep," and the ink actually produced actually has a sheen of higher gloss.