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!

With the exception of the Moka Fleck and Passion in the Dark, 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 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.

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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.

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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.

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2017

Passion in the Dark:

In 2017 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 introduced 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. And in continued support of jazz musicians participating in our community and local music education, $2 from the purchase of each bar benefited the Artist-in-Residence Program. This 2017 Jazz Festival limited edition bar was so delicious we just had to add it to our line of organic chocolate bars, so now you can take your taste buds on a tropical excursion year-round!

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2018

Bar 35:

This year Lake Champlain Chocolates celebrates 35 years of crafting extraordinary chocolate and the 35th anniversary of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, hence the name Bar 35 for our latest limited edition chocolate bar. The debut of this gourmet candy bar offered festival-goers two of our most popular Five Star Bar flavors (Caramel Five Star Bar® and Peanut Five Star Bar®) in one delicious concoction with an added treat for your taste buds — crunchy, salted pretzels! The gooeyness of the peanut butter and caramel, studded with pretzel pieces and wrapped in smooth, creamy milk chocolate gives this bar a mouthwatering flavor combination.

As in past years, to support jazz musicians participating in our community and local music education, $2 from the sale of each bar benefited the Artist-in-Residence Program.

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