Indians riding the matcha wave; A culinary fusion of India and Singapore

Here’s how AI influencers raked in $7.65 million in just over six hours of livestreaming on Baidu’s ecommerce livestreaming platform, Youxuan.

Jun 22, 2025 - 05:30

Indians riding the matcha wave; A culinary fusion of India and Singapore

Hello,

Musicians make a comeback for their audience, but how can they do the same for aliens?

It’s been 50 years since the Golden Record—an album compiled by astronomer Carl Sagan featuring everything from Chuck Berry to Chinese dialects and the sound of humpback whales—was launched in 1977 on the Voyager I and II space probes.

And yet the record continues to inspire, as the arts organisation Artangel launches Earth Rising: Messages from the Pale Blue Dot—the first in a series of three audio works being released on digital platforms in the run-up to the Golden Record’s 50th anniversary.

Meanwhile, the cricket pitch at Headingley in Leeds is missing two titans today—Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—as India and England engage in a five-match Test series.

ICYMI: Read our heartfelt tribute to King Kohli post his departure from Test matches.

Lastly, who thought AI avatars would outperform human salespeople?! Leave it to Chinese livestreamers and tech company Baidu to get the task done. Here’s how AI influencers raked in $7.65 million in just over six hours of livestreaming on Baidu’s ecommerce livestreaming platform, Youxuan.

Human influencers have competition now!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about

Indians riding the matcha wave
A culinary fusion of India and Singapore
Doctor consultation at home in 20 mins

Here’s your trivia for today: Which car manufacturer gave away its patent for the seat belt in the interest of saving lives?

Wine and Food

Indians riding the matcha wave

At Espressos AnyDay in Gurugram, matcha isn’t just a passing trend; it’s a statement. Since opening in November last year, the all-day diner has built a reputation for crafting comfort-driven yet creative matcha-based beverages. From the floral, nutrient-rich Rose and Collagen Matcha Latte to the zesty Matcha Yuzu Tonic, each drink is thoughtfully designed to let matcha shine.

“We noticed the matcha wave beginning around late 2022,” says Grace Muivah, Brand Lead at Espressos AnyDay. “It started online but quickly moved into real conversations at the counter.”

Matcha life:

Once a niche favourite among wellness enthusiasts, matcha is now entering the mainstream, and brands are taking note of this trend. “It’s becoming a part of daily rituals, not just a novelty,” says Anirudh Sharma, Co-founder of Third Wave Coffee.
Harajuku Tokyo Café in Delhi-NCR offers a deep dive into traditional matcha with Usucha and Koicha preparations. Its innovative collaboration with Behind The Bar includes avant-garde concoctions like basil-infused matcha, matcha shakes inspired by Japanese snacks, and even a matcha affogato with Umeshu.
Gaurav Kanwar, Founder of Harajuku Tokyo Café, opines that although matcha requires a different set of skills to prepare, like whisking and proper storage, it also shares some operational similarities with coffee, including the types of milk, sweeteners, ice, and flavourings.

Wine and Food

A culinary fusion of India and Singapore

Singapore has a significant Indian diaspora. As of 2025, close to 6.5 lakh Indians called the Lion City home. The deep affinities between the two nations can be traced back to 1965, when India and Singapore established diplomatic relations after the latter gained independence.

The year 2025 marks 60 years of the deep cultural ties and shared heritage between the two nations across art, culture, tradition and history. YS Life dives into the cultural parallels between the neighbouring countries with the spotlight on food.

Blending foods:

India and Singapore are both deeply multicultural, and that is reflected in their food. While India offers a range of regional or micro-cuisines, shaped by geography and tradition; Singapore’s cuisine, on the other hand, is an amalgamation of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian.
There also seems to be a growing appetite for regional Indian cuisines in Singapore, with restaurants specialising in micro-cuisines like Kashmiri, Goan, and Bengali, among others, confirms Rumela Banerjee, a journalist based out of Singapore.
Back at home too, Indians have started craving and recreating their favourite delicacies from their holiday in the Lion City. Nasi and Mee—one of the first players to bring the flavours of Singapore to India—recently re-launched its Shiok! Breakfast Club.

Startup

Doctor consultation at home in 20 mins

Founded in 2023 by Aditya Gupta, who previously worked at Pristyn Care, Kyno Health is a hyperlocal healthtech startup that offers quick general physician home visits for acute, non-emergency cases. It launched a “Doctor at Home in 20 Minutes” service across Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, delivering certified physicians to patients’ doorsteps within minutes.

News & updates

M&A: Apple executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for AI startup Perplexity. The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer, a Bloomberg report said. “We have no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions involving Perplexity,” the AI startup told Reuters.
Cheat: Cluely, a startup that claims to help users “cheat” on job interviews, exams, and sales calls, raised a $15 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup was co-founded earlier this year by 21-year-old Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam, who were suspended from Columbia University for developing an undetectable AI-powered tool called “Interview Coder” to help engineers cheat on technical interviews.
Rockets: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has won a bid of $59 million to commercially make India’s small satellite launch rockets, in the government's biggest move yet to open its fast-growing space industry to private players.

Which car manufacturer gave away its patent for the seat belt in the interest of saving lives?

Answer: Volvo.

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