Bister

Bister comes from the French word 'bistre' which stands for brown, hazelnut, dark brown or chocolate brown.

Bister is a coloring pigment made from the soot and tar of burnt wood or shellac or the ground bark of walnuts and gum arabic.
A traditional ink in powder form, much appreciated by artists in the colours: red, yellow, green, blue and of course the brown bistre.
The powder can be easily dissolved in water. The more pigment, the darker the color. The more water, the lighter the color.