Burlington Discover Jazz Festival — Chocolate Bar Hall of Fame
Amid
early-summer breezes and cool tunes, a new tradition was born during the 2012 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. That year marked our 15th as Jazz Fest sponsors, and it was only
fitting to mark this milestone with chocolate.
So we created a unique, jazz-inspired bar: the Boom! Bam! Bourbon
Pecan Chocolate Experience. This limited edition bar would be available only during the festival, with all profits
supporting a music scholarship for Vermont youth.
Boom! Bam! was a smash hit, and we decided to reprise
with a new limited-run bar every year. Summer 2013 debuted the Bebop Hop Chocolate Bar, a soulful blend of milk
chocolate with hop-infused caramel. And 2014 delighted Jazz Fest audiences with the tropical notes and Latin-inspired flavors of our
Cocoa Con Brío Chocolate Bar. Then in May 2016, we introduced Moka Fleck Chocolate Bar— a mocha bar like no other: organic 43% milk chocolate mixed with fine-ground
Dominican coffee and delectably crunchy cacao nibs. In fact, it was so good we had to make it part of our core line of organic chocolate bars! Stay tuned for the release of our 5th limited edition
bar for the 2017 festival...
With the exception of the Moka Fleck, Jazz Fest bars are true limited editions — which
means once they sell out, that’s it. End of tune, no repeats! Unless of course it is such a hit and, like any chocolate
fanatic, we just can't say goodbye. This page is our hall of fame, where you can learn a bit about the inspiration behind past
years’ bars. Enjoy, and see you at Jazz Fest!
•2012 Boom! Bam! Bourbon Pecan
•2013 Bebop Hop
•2014 Cocoa Con Brío
•2016 Moka Fleck
•2017 Passion in the Dark
2012
Boom! Bam! Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Experience:
Created for Jazz Fest 2012,
this spicy milk chocolate bar found inspiration in the sweet rhythm and spice of New Orleans. With every taste there came first the
crunch — boom! — of roasted bourbon-soaked pecans in smooth milk chocolate, then a warming kick — bam! — of
cayenne pepper.
100% of profits from the Boom Bam bar went to support the FlynnArts LCC Youth in Jazz Scholarship, providing
year-round music classes and workshops for all students, regardless of ability to pay. What a delicious way to match community
spirit with a celebration of great jazz music . . . Boom, BAM! Strike up the band!
2013
Bebop Hop Chocolate Bar:How did we dream up a milk chocolate bar packed with hoppy, malted caramel?
In the spirit of jazz, it’s a story of improvisation and collaboration between the BDJF’s top two sponsors. We traveled
down to Bridgewater Corners to brainstorm with our friends at Long Trail
Brewing Co., and an idea was born to use the raw materials for beer-making in a finished chocolate bar.
Infused with Cascade hops and sweetened with Long Trail Brewery’s house-made barley malt, the caramel in this bar featured a
heady blend of herbal, citrus fruit, and tea notes. A virtuoso performance of chocolate and beer, the Bebop Hop had audiences
shouting “Encore!” at Jazz Fest 2013. All proceeds went to support the FlynnArts LCC Youth in Jazz
Scholarship.
2014
Cocoa Con Brío Chocolate Bar: ‘Con brío’ —
with energy, spirit, verve. The best way to experience jazz . . . and chocolate, too! For Summer 2014, we concocted an homage to
Latin jazz. With mole-inspired flavors of lime, spice, and cocoa and a tropical wrapper design, Cocoa Con Brío
featured bold 72% dark chocolate studded with raisins, pepitas, and a trio of guajillo, ancho, and pasilla
negro peppers.
All profits from the sale of this bar went to support the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival’s
Artist-in-Residence Program, which invites a celebrated jazz musician to explore his or her practice within the Burlington community,
lead performance workshops, and spread the importance of jazz history through schools and social service agencies.
2016
Moka Fleck Chocolate Bar: For nearly 20 years, Lake Champlain Chocolates has been
making the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival a whole lot sweeter. In 2016 we brought you the Moka Fleck chocolate bar— composed of an
organic 43% “dark-milk” chocolate blend infused with Dominican coffee and crunchy cacao nibs. Inspired by the festival’s headliners,
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, this bar celebrates the unique blending of different elements to create something that is music to
your ears (and taste buds).
This was the festival’s all-star ensemble of flavor and fun! And in support of jazz awareness
and appreciation, $2.00 from each bar sold went to support the BDJF’s Artist-in-Residence program.
2017
Passion in the Dark: This year Lake Champlain Chocolates brought a taste of the tropics to the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival with the limited edition Passion in the Dark chocolate bar. The debut of this gourmet candy bar introduces festival-goers to delicious, smooth 70% Peruvian dark chocolate filled with a tropical blend of passionfruit cream and a pop of lime. The burst of tart, fruity flavor from inside the seductive, earthy finish of the dark chocolate gives this bar a flavor combination like no other!
The tropical roots of Passion in the Dark are displayed in the bright, colorful wrapper and were influenced by South American jazz forms. Movements like Samba, Bossa Nova, and Tropicalia are reflective of the spirit and energy behind the development of this new dark chocolate bar. Get your 2017 Jazz Festival limited edition bar before they are gone! And in continued support of jazz musicians participating in our community and local music education, $2 from the purchase of each bar will benefit the Artist-in-Residence Program.
