Totoro tea for me, please. That’s a sentence I didn’t know I wanted to say, but now that I know Studio Ghibli-inspired tea is a thing, I can’t wait to make Totoro tea over and over. Rocket News 24 reports Japanese retailer Benelic is working with Lupicia to issue a collection of tea inspired by Ghibli animated films. Can you imagine curling up with a piping hot cuppa Kiki next time you settle in for a Studio Ghibli marathon? I know that you can and that you’re already ordering a special mug for the occasion.
The initial release features loose leaf tea blends based on Kiki’s Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro.
Let’s take a closer look at the real star of any and all collections: Totoro! The art on the tin features a napping Totoro, which is ideal because look how cute he is. Of course, if you drink a lot of tea, it’s likely going to eliminate any desire you have to take a nap.
This blend, appropriately titled “Napping Totoro,” is a green tea that’s sourced from Sayama, in the Kanto region of Japan. As Rocket News 24 points out, the Sayama Hills are home to Totoro’s Forest, the place where Hayao Miyazaki found inspiration for My Neighbor Totoro.
See the Jiji and Kiki blends in the gallery below. The “Jiji and Butterfly” tin contains a fruity rooibos tea–and hey, rooibos is an ideal evening tea choice because it doesn’t have caffeine–while the “Kiki and Townscape” tin has a black tea with strawberry and black currants. Mmm. I want to add them to my tea stash now.
The tea isn’t available for customers outside Japan yet, but third party companies that ship Japanese goods around the world will hopefully have them available soon. Fingers crossed. If you’re local to Japan, you can get your pre-order in at Donguri Kyowakoku.
If you could make a tea blend based on any Studio Ghibli characters, who would you choose and what would the blend include? E.g. I think a soot sprite would be straight up dark roast oolong tea. Tell me your choices in the comments.
Images: Studio Ghibli, Benelic
Did you know Totoro was the god of the underworld, though?
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