Gennaro Pelliccia is the owner of the the world’s most valuable tongue, insured for £10million ($22 million).

He is a coffee taste-tester and an unnamed group of underwriters at Lloyd’s, the world’s oldest and biggest insurance market, will pay out if he, the chief taster at Costa Coffee in the UK, loses his mastery.

Mr Pelliccia,  Costa’s Italian Master of Coffee, is responsible for ensuring the quality of the 108 million cups of Costa coffee that are drunk in Britain each year, and John Derkach, managing director of Costa Coffee, said that he was a “vital element” of the company’s business.

He has also a team of tasters who work for him, but he personally tests every batch of raw beans before they leave Costa Coffee’s roastery in South London.

“My taste buds also allow me to distinguish any defects, which enables me to protect and guarantee Costa’s unique Mocha Italia blend” said Mr Pelliccia.

“In my profession, my tastebuds and sensory skills are crucial. My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavours.”

Gennaro Pelliccia’s tastebuds are so sensitive that they have been compared with the vocal cords of an opera singer.

It trumps the £3.9 million policy taken out by Ilja Gort, a Bordeaux wine maker last year, who protected his nose, saying that he needed it to guarantee the quality of his wines.

Other famous body part insurance policies:

£40m David Beckham legs

£25m Michael Flatley legs

£5m America Ferrera’s smile

£4m Ken Dodd’s teeth

£3.5m Bruce Springsteen’s voice

£1.15m Heidi Klum’s legs (the pair)

£500,000 or $1 million Betty Grable’s legs

£350,000 Dolly Parton’s breasts (the pair)

£250,000 Egon Ronay’s taste buds

£200,000 The cricketer Merv Hughes’s handlebar moustache