Coffee taster insures tongue for £10m
The chief coffee taster for Costa Coffee has had his tongue insured for £10m. Gennaro Pelliccia samples a selection of roasted coffee beans each day before they are shipped to stores.
Mr Pelliccia said, “My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavours”
The insurance policy was taken out as Gennaro Pelliccia has to taste and grade over 5,000 types of coffee each year .
“In my profession my taste buds and sensory skills are crucial… and allow me to distinguish any defects,” added Mr Pelliccia.
Mr Pelliccia’s job is to ensure that the 108 million cups of coffee that Costa Coffee sells each year meet his exacting standards. A spokesperson for the insurance company said,
“The taste buds of a Master of Coffee are as important as the vocal cords of a singer or the legs of a top model, and this is one of the biggest single insurance policies taken out for one person,”
Mr Pelliccia’s coffee tasting expertise means that he is banned from eating curry within two days of tasting sessions in case the spices dull his sensitivity. He also tries to steer clear of any other spicy food for fear of damaging his tongue.
With 5,000 types of coffee being tasted and graded by him each year, Costa bosses decided Gennaro’s taste buds were worth every penny.
