S'pore diplomat in India laments 'tasteless' chai, gets 'torrent of invitations' to try home-made chai

When travelling or working in India, many Singaporeans make sure to grab a cup of chai.

These include Singapore's High Commissioner to the Republic of India, Simon Wong, who visited the northern Indian city of Gurgaon.

However, Wong was apparently not impressed by his order and took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his experience on Dec. 14, writing:

"The impossible happened. I just had a cup of tasteless chai in Gurgaon. [It cost] 169 Indian rupees with tax."

He also added two facepalm emojis, a photo of his chai, and a photo of the store he visited.

The impossible happened. I just had a cup of tasteless #Chai in Gurgaon. Rs 169 with tax.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️HC Wong. pic.twitter.com/PMVwnvUS2y

— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) December 14, 2024

While Wong did not explicitly name the store in his post, the brand "Chaayos" could be seen inscribed on his cup.

According to Chaayos' website, the chai chain, which was founded in 2012, had more than 200 outlets across India as of July 2022.

Response from Chaayos CEO

Wong's post has since gone viral on X, garnering over 773,000 views and 560 replies as of Dec. 17.

The post also caught the attention of Chaayos' founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Nitin Saluja, who replied to Wong on X approximately two hours after he shared about his chai.

Introducing himself, Saluja extended an invite to Wong for a cup of chai at a Chaayos outlet near him "in the name of deep India-Singapore friendship".

"And as we enjoy our chai, I will share our commitment to get every chai right, including our no-questions-asked chai replacement policy," wrote Saluja.

Wong's reply

In response, Wong expressed his gratitude for Saluja's offer, adding that there was "no shade intended" in his post.

He also recounted what led him to the Chaayos outlet, stating, "I was in sector 59 looking at factory land. I googled [the] best chai near me and found the shop."

Shortly afterwards, Saluja responded by proudly confirming Google's recommendation while acknowledging that the outlet might have messed up with Wong's order.

"The weather calls for multiple chais a day, so I certainly look forward to having a chai together," wrote Saluja.

More invitations & recommendations in comments section

However, the invitation from Saluja was not the only one Wong received.

Several users even invited Wong to their homes to try various homemade teas, which included Handi chai, Kulhadi chai, and Assam tea.

At the same time, other commenters recommended their go-to chai spots to Wong, with many asking him to patronise roadside vendors.

According to these users, the tea there will not only make patrons "fall in love with chai again" but is also much more affordable.

In response, Wong thanked his commenters and their kind gestures in a follow-up post, adding:

"The true beauty of India lies in her people. I am overwhelmed by the torrent of invitations to have a cup of the best homemade chai. I humbly thank you all."

Top images via Singapore in India/X