Lloyd’s Insures Coffee Taster’s Tongue for $13.78 Million

Despite all the technical changes, Lloyd’s of London continues to adhere to its century’s old tradition of accepting the most unusual risks. It has just agreed to cover the tongue of Gennaro Pelliccia, Costa Coffee’s Italian Master of Coffee, for £10 million ($13.78 million).

Lloyd’s bulletin explained that “Pelliccia personally tastes every single batch of raw coffee beans at the company’s roastery in London, before they are roasted and shipped to its stores.”

He’s glad to have the policy, as he explained: “In my profession, my taste buds are crucial. My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavours. My taste buds also allow me to search out any defects, which help guarantee Costa’s unique Mocha Italia blend.”

Lloyd’s noted that the “average tongue has approximately 10,000 taste buds, which means Costa has in effect insured each of Pelliccia’s taste buds for £1,000, but this is not the first time Lloyd’s has insured a tongue. Wine tasters for supermarkets and wine merchants have also taken out policies. Dutch wine maker Ilja Gort insured his nose for €5 million ($6.32 million).

A Lloyd’s spokesperson proudly observed: “Lloyd’s is the pre-eminent place in the world for the insurance of people, whether it is individual body parts or dealing with particular facial characteristics that are necessary for people to pursue their occupations.”

Source: Lloyd’s of London – www.lloyds.com

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