Tetley insures tea expert’s tastebuds for £1m

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Something for the weekend…

Many employers insure their staff through a group risk policy to support employees and ensure they remain an integral part of the organisation if they become ill.

But, sometimes an employee’s individual skillset is some specialist and crucial to an organisation’s business activities that a more unique option is required, which exceeds the reach of critical illness and income protection cover.

Tetley has done just that for one employee, insuring his tastebuds for £1 million after five years of training made him a master blender.

Professional tea taster Sebastian Michaelis claims he can taste and grade any type of tea in just 15 seconds.

According to Tetley, its experts can sometimes taste anything up to 1,000 different teas in a day as it tries to keep a consistent blend.

Speaking to Sky News, Michaelis said: “[It has] spent a lot of time and money on me, that is why [it has] insured my tongue.”

The master blender joins the likes of international stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Jennifer Lopez to take out insurance on his most valuable asset.

With more than 1,500 different varieties of tea in existance it is no surprise the organisation has decided to insure his tastebuds. After all, just imagine the outcry if throusands of Brits didn’t get their usual tasting daily cuppa.