“This is the Bugatti,” asserts Brian Turko.

A small group has gathered for a first exclusive taste of Milano Coffee Roasters’ new Turks Crown blend. Made in celebration of the Vancouver roastery and cafe’s 20th anniversary, it’s a world first: 20 beans in a single blend. And it tastes very, very good.

A good espresso blend, Turko explains, needs balance—it must be rich, have umami, teeter on the “edge” of bitterness, and “resonate without antagonizing.” Lofty as it may sound to the uninitiated, it really just means that it needs harmony. Which is easier said than done when it comes to bringing 20 different beans together in one cup—something that Turko has been working towards, with an estimated half a million shots of espresso under his belt since he began his coffee journey.

“We’re artisans,” he says, adding that blending is “where the real art is.”

As Master Roaster of Milano, Turko is positively brimming with excitement for his craft—which he learned after spending 15 years under the mentorship of Italian Master Roaster Francesco Curatolo. He co-owns Milano with his wife Linda (the company’s president), who watches, smiling and chuckling, as he entertains the group (“I won’t take you inside my mind,” he jokes. “You’ll never get out!”)

Over the years, Milano has won 15 gold medals at the International Coffee Tasting Awards—and that’s for 15 different blends, by the way. Included in that list is the new Turks Crown, which, given its complexity, is being sold at Milano locations for a cool $100 per pound as of November 24. Folks curious to taste it without shelling out a hundy can head to the barista bar for a $6 single shot or a $10 double shot.

“This is innovation right on the edge,” Turko says of the blend. It’s beautifully rich and layered on the nose, and surprisingly soft on the palate, with notes of walnuts and cranberry. With a smooth, almost creamy nature, Turks Crown is full-bodied but approachable.

“Espresso,” Turko says by way of summation, “tells the truth of the coffee.”