Tetley takes out £1m insurance for its man with a golden tongue
A MASTER blender working for Tetley has had his taste buds insured for £1m, after five years of intensive sipping.
Sebastian Michaelis can identify any of 1,500 different types of tea in seconds – a rare ability even within the tea community.
Michaelis, who has been sipping tea at the company for five years, graduated from university with a degree in philosophy. He then joined the Tetley graduate trainee scheme and his working life became dominated by tea. “They spent a lot of money and time on me – that’s why they’ve insured my tongue,” he told Sky News.
Michaelis and his fellow Tetley tea tasters will be required to try as many as 1,000 different teas in a day. “I’ve had to travel round the world, visit producers, understand everything about tea and we use a special language.”
His job is to ensure that the taste is consistent. “Tea, like wine, will change depending on the amount of sunshine and rain it gets – so it’s always changing taste,” he said. “We know exactly how to blend it together so it tastes the same.”