Coffee tasting tongue insured for £10 million

9th March 2009, 2:29pm

Gennaro Pelliccia, the man responsible for the taste of the 108 million cups of Costa Coffee each year, has had his tongue insured by the company for £10 million at Lloyd's of London.

New research published today suggests that seven out of 10 coffee drinkers prefer a Costa cappuccino after comparison test with rivals Starbucks and Nero.

Pelliccia, Costa's Italian master of coffee, personally tastes every single batch of raw coffee beans at the company's roastery in Lambeth, London, before they are roasted and shipped to its stores.

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.

Speaking for the first time about the huge insurance policy that has been taken out on his tongue, Pelliccia said: "In my profession, my tastebuds and sensory skills are crucial. My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavours. My tastebuds also allow me to distinguish any defects, which enable me to protect and guarantee Costa's unique Mocha Italia blend."

John Derkach, Managing Director of Costa Coffee, said: "Gennaro is responsible for making sure that we maintain the highest quality of coffee. His ability to determine what tastes best enables us to serve great tasting, superior quality coffee, and we've taken out the £10 million insurance policy to protect such a vital element of the business."

Related Articles:

• 04 Oct 2011 - Costa Coffee opens its 2000th store in Leeds
• 08 Jul 2009 - Starbucks gives away 280,000 free pints of ice cream
• 29 Apr 2009 - Whitbread remain positive after mixed performance
• 06 Mar 2009 - Coffee chains serve healthy eating commitments
• 06 Mar 2009 - Gatwick airport gets new arrivals
• 11 Feb 2009 - BB's Coffee & Muffins tops consumer poll

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