Tasteless chai at Chaayos in Rs 169: Singapore envoy's post goes viral, CEO says: 'Looks like we messed up'

Singapore's High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, stirred up a chai storm on social media on Saturday after expressing disappointment over a "tasteless" cup of chai he was served at a café in Gurgaon. Sharing his experience, Wong revealed that he paid Rs 169 for the drink, which was served in traditional kulhad (earthen cup).

"The impossible happened. I just had a cup of tasteless #Chai in Gurgaon. ₹169 with tax,” Wong posted on social media, accompanied by images of the kulhad and the café's interior. While he refrained from naming the outlet, the kulhad bore the name of popular chai chain Chaayos.

Nitin Saluja, the founder of Chaayos, quickly responded to Wong’s post, inviting the diplomat to visit one of their outlets. Saluja wrote, "We are the best chai near you! However, looks like we messed up with your chai today!"

He further extended an olive branch: “Hon'ble Mr Wong, in the name of deep India-SG friendship, I invite you for a cup of chai at a Chaayos near you. As we enjoy our chai, I’ll share our commitment to getting every chai right, including our no-questions-asked replacement policy!”

Wong's post triggered a wave of reactions online, with many users sharing their own experiences with Chaayos. Several users advised Wong to explore roadside tea stalls for an authentic and affordable chai experience.

Maahir, a social media user, shared, “I had a similar experience at Chaayos in Bangalore. Burger bun for Muska Bun also. To me they’re not a chai brand anymore.”

Sambit, an advertising professional, remarked, “Wong discovered what most Indians knew anyway – Chaayos is overrated & overpriced. And how.”

“Sir, you should try a normal tea stall. Overpriced cafés can’t capture the essence of real Indian chai,” another person noted. One person said: "For ₹169, you could have treated 16 others to chai from a roadside vendor – without taxes and with far more flavour!"

Amrendra Kumar Srivastava, an architect, criticised the café chain for its pricing and quality. “Tea at Chaayos is not only of average taste, it is ridiculously overpriced too in the Indian context. Me, a Delhite, found ‘cutting tea’ in many of South Mumbai’s small tea shops to be the best among many outstation tea shops I had tried, outside home.”