Most people know John Coltrane for the sound that could open a doorway in the night sky. Only a handful knew about the other thing that made him close his eyes, breathe deeply, and enter a small private universe.

A chocolate bar called Meteor Munch.

An unfashionable, no-nonsense bar sold only in the corner shop near Sweet Basils. The wrapper faded. The logo looked like someone’s nephew designed it for school. Coltrane liked the bar because it revealed itself slowly. Most chocolate hits you right away. Not Meteor Munch. It unfolded, first an earthy cocoa taste, then a hint of burnt sugar, then a strange citrus note. It felt like cutting into the arrangement of a song at the wrong, and yet perfect moment.

Once, while on break, McCoy asked, “What’s so deep about that candy?” Coltrane smiled. “Not candy, it’s a conversation.”

Rumors spread. Some said the bar was responsible for the sound. Others claimed he used it for meditation. A few thought Meteor Munch had a secret ingredient that allowed the mind to improvise beyond human limits. One trumpeter said it’s “sugar witchcraft.”

One night, a young Columbia student approached him backstage and asked with trembling sincerity, what fuelled that kind of music. What spirit? What force? What divine breath carried the cascading lines? Coltrane considered a straightforward answer. Instead, reached into his coat pocket gave the kid a bar.

“Here,” he said. “This is the closest thing on earth to what you’re asking.”

He unwrapped it.
He took a bite.
His eyebrows shot upward as if a new chord had been invented.

“Oh,” he whispered. “I get it.”

Coltrane nodded. “Exactly.”

After Meteor Munch was discontinued, old musicians still spoke of it with the same tone they used describing a transcendent solo. Some said the bar was too ahead of its time. Some said it vanished like all holy things. Some swore you could still taste it if you listened closely to the records. Everyone agreed if the universe decides to unwrap itself and reveal its deepest flavour, it will taste a little like cocoa, and burnt sugar and a note of citrus.