W hen Christopher Nolan, Tom Holland and Matt Damon visited Mumbai, they made time for chai and bun muska at an iconic cafe before their film screening. The optics of Nolan, who otherwise enjoys his daily Earl Grey, sipping on Indian chai, was not lost on any one of us.Just a few weeks back, Michelin-starred celebrity chef Vikas Khanna invested in a brand that sells Kolkata-style ‘chai’ in New York. Kolkata Chai Co., started by two Kolkata boys, has become quite a success by introducing Americans to authentic street-style chai. With spices, milk, sugar and tea on the boil. From classic masala chai to iced concentrates, chai pops and oat -milk blends, the brand has built a loyal following, with long queues outsideits store becoming the norm. In an interview with Forbes, Khanna, alongside co-investor Hasan Minhaj, said this chai reminded him of the tea he grew up drinking at Gurdwaras. Somehow that resonates. Because ‘chai’ is, after all, the one community drink that has been bringing people together.But the question is, if some of the most influential global Indians are happy to bet on something they believe represents its people and its culture, why is chai losing out to coffee in its own country?Maybe chai has become so familiar that we’ve stopped noticing it. It’s comfort. It’s routine. It’s home.We celebrate Darjeeling as the “Champagne of teas”, a GI-tagged luxury prized around the world. But the tea most of us actually drink every day doesn’t enjoy the same cultural cache. It’s everywhere, yet somehow invisible.Meanwhile, coffee is having a moment. Third-wave cafés, coffee raves, protein foam, aesthetic brews… it has turned into social currency, especially for younger consumers and entrepreneurs who are putting in serious monies into the business.So much so that even while the world rediscovers Indian chai, many of us are happy chasing coffee trends as the ultimate flex.Maybe it’s time Chai got itself a spin doctor. Maybe it’s time it stopped being the invisible default and stepped into the spotlight it truly deserves. Because sometimes, all it takes for an icon to make a comeback, is a fresh introduction.
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