“My whole goal in life was to be a ski bum and a chef.” For Mark Connell, the executive chef at PARC Aspen , we can definitely say: mission accomplished. Mark is a passionate skier and a culinary genius, and we discuss how Mark & Jonathan first met; Mark’s background and his time working at The French Laundry; what punk rock has to do with high-end cuisine; frozen pizza; white wine; celebrity chefs; & more. RELATED LINKS Check out the Blister Craft Collective Become a BLISTER+ Member TOP...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 48
These days, owning a beautiful home is often prohibitively expensive, while “affordable” housing too often fails to include quality craftsmanship. But there is a solution, and today, Zack Giffin reminds us of this fact and discusses the craft of designing smaller structures that address our true needs. This is a conversation where design and philosophy come together in a big way, as does the art of fostering real communities and constructing vibrant towns. RELATED LINKS Check out the Blister Cra...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 47
In this episode, we get a crash course on the vinyl revival and why spinning records on a turntable is a more engaging way of listening to music. Our guest, Michael Fremer, is regarded as one of the premier experts in the audio field, and he's extremely passionate about it. Michael and Simon get into how Led Zeppelin II was made, why Howard Stern hates vinyl, how to go about buying your first turntable, the travesty of “smashed” music, turntables that cost as much as a house, and tons more. RELA...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 46
One of the greatest big-mountain skiers of all time is also seriously passionate about making great pizza. So what’s the story here, and what do pizza and skiing have in common? What has Sage learned about the art of making dough and sauce? And what do you need to know to start making great pizza yourself? We cover all of this, plus Sage’s most recent trip to Alaska. RELATED LINKS Check out the Blister Craft Collective Become a BLISTER+ Member Blister Pod #41: Sage on Skiing Spines Blister Pod #...
Jul 04, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 45
La Marzocco is the most iconic espresso-machine maker in the world, and last month, Jonathan went to the La Marzocco Accademia to talk with their head product designer, Stefano Della Pietra, about the history and core principles of the company; how he became the head of product design there; and the task of taking La Marzocco into the future while staying true to the brand’s storied past. RELATED LINKS Check out the Blister Craft Collective Become a BLISTER+ Member TOPICS & TIMES: Accademia ...
Jun 26, 2024•40 min•Ep. 44
After much deliberation, we’re revealing the machine that Jonathan ended up going with on his quest to create daily doses of “hero espresso” — a phrase coined at the end of this conversation. Simon Stewart joins Jonathan for all the glorious, dorky details, and they also discuss decaf coffee & N/A beer; the price of a thing vs. the amount of joy it brings; mtn bikes vs. espresso machines; & more. RELATED LINKS Check out the Blister Craft Collective Become a BLISTER+ Member TOPICS & T...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 43
Jonathan Ellsworth was recently at JING Tea headquarters in London for another CRAFTED conversation with JING founder, Ed Eisler. After a proper tea tasting, they sat down to discuss all things tea (and skis); agriculture as art; and the qualities of a great tea. RELATED LINKS CRAFTED ep. 23 w/ JING’s Ed Eisler Check out the Blister Craft Collective Become a BLISTER+ Member TOPICS & TIMES: Coffee, Tea, & Skis (5:12) Curiosity (12:41) Standards (21:47) Buying Local (25:49) Principles &...
Jun 12, 2024•36 min•Ep. 42
Today we are discussing a product that people get very passionate about — and even more opinionated about: cast-iron cookware. Jonathan is joined by Blister senior bike editor, Simon Stewart, who has been using cast-iron cookware for more than twenty years, but is now on a quest to see if the fancier, more expensive options out there are better than their cheaper counterparts. We also discuss the notion of ‘elevating the everyday’; cast-iron cookware as heirlooms; the introduction of new tech; t...
Jan 31, 2024•44 min•Ep. 41
WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, aka, the ‘Sauna Shaman’, talks about how Hoji kicked off his obsession with saunas; their numerous benefits; and lays out what it takes (and costs) to build your own sauna. (On our site, you can check out a bunch of photos of the sauna that Matt built. It’s sweet.) RELATED LINKS Check out the Blister Craft Collective Become a BLISTER+ Member TOPICS & TIMES: Defining Terms (8:59) The cold plunge trick (25:15) Heart and inflammation (27:19) hot tub vs sauna ...
Jan 17, 2024•59 min•Ep. 40
To wrap up the year, we are sharing the craft categories that most captivated our Blister reviewers in 2023, and some of the categories they are most curious about heading into 2024. This is a fun one, and it certainly fills out the picture of the people behind our reviews, videos, articles, podcasts, and Blister Summit events. And over on our Blister Podcast , you’ll also get to hear our team talk about their highlights of 2023, and their resolutions for 2024. Happy New Year! RELATED LINKS Chec...
Dec 28, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 39
Over 30 billion bottles of wine are consumed each year around the world, and today, we’re talking about why we need to — and can — move away from ‘business as usual’ in the wine world. Our guest is Revelshine founder, Jake Bilbro, and Jake lays out some fascinating, rarely discussed facts about the impacts of the wine industry; his mission to change that; and why the likes of Jeremy Jones, Shane Dorian, Selema Masakala, Michelle Parker, Tanner Gudauskas, Patrick Gudauskas, Dane Gudauskas, Chris ...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 38
Last year on CRAFTED, we talked with Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about the art, ethics, and craftsmanship of traditional bows ( episode #8 ). And this is the companion conversation to that episode, about the art of making arrows. TOPICS & TIMES: Kodiak Island (5:29) Only a Traditional Bow (11:10) Arrows: An Amateur's Take (14:42)r Relating Arrow's to Skis (28:39) Feathers: Weights, Forces, and Angles (34:10) Broadheads (44:17) Price Range (52:07) Summary of arrows (54:49) Arrow Makers (5...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 37
Based in Vermont — where they still make their products — Bag Balm is an American company with a 125-year history and one very remarkable story. Bag Balm’s president, Libby Parent, joins us to talk about cow udders, celebrity endorsements, and the countless uses of their products, and you’ll also get a great lesson on how to steward a company with such a rich history into the modern world. TOPICS & TIMES: From Cow Udders to Celebrity Endorsements (2:38) BLISTER & Bag Balm & Strange U...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 36
Dearborn Denim founder, Rob McMillan is a thoughtful guy with some grand ambitions. He’s working on building a big apparel company that ethically manufactures premium products at an affordable price, right in Chicago. Impossible you say? This past Monday, Jonathan Ellsworth met up with Rob at Dearborn Denim’s factory in Chicago to tour the factory with him, then record this conversation where he lays out the blueprint. TOPICS & TIMES: Why Rob started Dearborn Denim (2:47) Profitability vs Mi...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 35
Yia Vang is a multi-nominated James Beard Award chef; the founder & head chef of Union Hmong Kitchen , and he’s carved out time to compete on the Netflix show, “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” host the show, ”Feral” on the Outdoors Channel , host another show, “Stoked” on the Food Network , and host the excellent podcast,“ Hmonglish ” which focuses on the Hmong people, their culture, representation, and Asian excellence overall. Yia and Jonathan discuss all of the above, plus his ‘run ...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 34
How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again? Or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question is at the heart of this conversation about official offerings vs independent bottlings, but Matt and Jonathan also find time to talk about Scotch and spit buckets; Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands; the short lifespans of humans vs the long lifespans of craft categories; upcoming ski tri...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 33
Matt Manser (Atomic Ski Boots), is back to dive into the world of Scotch and independent bottlings. He and Jonathan compare a Bunnahabhain independent bottling against their official 12-year offering; discuss a single cask that cost $19M; debate whether you should add water to your Scotch; learn about the fanciest bottle Matt currently owns; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: What does a ski boot designer do in the summer? (4:10) Recapping our first Scotch conversation (10:08) What’s Your Fanciest &a...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 32
Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan Ellsworth and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form?); and finally, we discuss Troy’s Top 5 All-Time Tennis Players, which leads us back into the big question of how to think about asses...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 31
Today, Napa Valley is home to some of the most respected wineries and coveted wines being produced, but not too long ago, it was a sleepy farm community. So in this conversation, Jonathan talks with Marilyn Harris of Paradigm Winery about how Napa … became Napa. Marilyn and her husband, Ren, own Paradigm Winery in Oakville, CA, and they’ve had a front-row seat — and played a first-hand role — in the evolution of Napa Valley. TOPICS & TIMES: How I met Marilyn & her lifelong history in Nap...
Jun 28, 2023•48 min•Ep. 30
Last week, Jonathan headed to The Crown in Oakland, California, which is the Coffee Lab and Tasting Room of Royal Coffee . He was there to sample experimental coffee drinks, meet with Royal Coffee CEO, Max Nicholas-Fulmer — whose favorite ski is the Moment Blister Pro — and to discuss the world of specialty “green” (not-yet-roasted) coffee. Max and Jonathan discuss the history of changing coffee preferences; the business of importing green beans; the stages of roasting coffee (do you know about ...
Jun 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 29
Today we’re discussing the rules of rum with Karen Hoskin, founder of Montanya Distillers , which produces some of the best rum in the country — right here in Crested Butte, Colorado. If you’re someone who hasn’t been all that into rum, this conversation will shed light on why you might have felt that way; explain why Karen doesn’t make Montanya’s rum the way that a lot of mainstream rum is produced; and is a pretty amazing crash course in the history of rum, rum culture, the longstanding tradit...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 28
Not all beer is created equal, and that certainly goes for NA beer, too. So what’s the secret? Bravus Brewing Company has been making some of the very best NA beer out there, so I headed to Bravus’ headquarters in Anaheim, CA, to meet up with Bravus founder, Philip Brandes. We talked about what led Philip to start a non-alcoholic craft brewery back in 2015; what Philip regards as some of the better - and worse - ways of making craft NA beer; and more. TOPICS & TIMES The NA Beer Space Today (...
May 31, 2023•51 min•Ep. 27
Before Alex LeBlanc started Calibration Coffee Lab in Greenville, South Carolina, he was a mechanical engineer by trade, a home brewer, a home distiller, and a home coffee roaster. So what led him to leave the world of engineering to start Calibration Coffee Lab, and roast beans for a living? And how did he go about doing it? This conversation is about the process of turning your passion into a business, and the process of creating some very good roasts, too. Want to try some Calibration coffee?...
May 24, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 26
ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, is back on CRAFTED to go deep into the weeds about the various gear options out there to make great coffee and espresso. We discuss the very inexpensive options; $1000 coffee grinders; Scott’s mind-blowing “ Coffee Checklist for Jonathan ”; and more. It’s an amazing, slightly terrifying, definitely fun conversation about Drinking Gold and the gear used to make it. TOPICS & TIMES: Affordable Options (4:49) Pour Over Options (6:34) The Confusing World of New Co...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 25
Today we’re talking all things guitars and guitar making with a fantastic guide to this world, Jason Verlinde, publisher of the Fretboard Journal . Jason and Jonathan discuss how and where guitars are being made; boutique vs. mass market brands; who is pushing innovation; guitar quivers; the greatest guitarists ever; and (much to Jonathan’s delight) Blind Willie McTell. TOPICS & TIMES: Gear Nerdery & Vintage Amps (4:44) Fretboard Journa l (6:38) Loving Guitars, but not Guitar Media (8:05...
May 11, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 24
Jonathan talks to JING Tea founder, Ed Eisler, about the origins, production, and culture of tea; “Duckshit” tea; what goes into making an exceptional cup of tea; the pros and cons of coffee vs tea; trends in the tea world, and more. TOPICS & TIMES: Starting JING (5:47) Single Malt & Craft Tea (16:08) Coffee vs Tea (20:25) Caffeine & Flavor (33:10) Milk in Tea? The Debate (39:30) What Makes Great Tea Leaves? (43:47) Trends & State Of The Union (47:51) Brewing Tea (57:43) RELATED ...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 23
Why are there so many collabs in the craft beer world? We talk to Offset Bier co-founder, Conor Brown, and New Image Brewing founder, Brandon Capps, for answers, and also about the new collabs they’ve just released; “New World” or “West Coast” pilsners; snooty bike shops; skiing pow; barley wine; & more. TOPICS & TIMES: Offset Bier (4:40) New Image Brewing (6:51) Why So Many Beer Collabs? (8:27) Historic / Favorite Collabs? (12:43) How Conor & Brendan Met (15:04) Skiing Powder (17:06...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 22
The artist & designer Geoff McFetridge came to CB to pay us a visit, and in this conversation, he & Jonathan discuss his current show in LA, Return to Stoner Forest ; culture & commerce; Geoff’s approach to collaborations; the new film, ‘ Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life ,’ & more. TOPICS & TIMES: The Morning Show from CB (5:04) Geoff’s Show: Return To Stoner Forest (8:20) Bigfoot (23:51) Interpreting Art (33:52) Culture & Commerce, Apple Watch & Hermès (39:51) Geoff’...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 21
Sam Higby, co-owner of First Ascent Coffee Roasters , joins Jonathan to talk pour overs, grinders, brewing at altitude, programmability, and more. Listen up, then let us know what your pick is for the best coffee-making setup out there. TOPICS & TIMES: Sam’s Coffee Background (4:03) Why Coffee Gear Conversations Matter (12:17) Brevilles, MoccaMasters, & 3rd-Wave Coffee (13:39) Pour Overs(21:12) Time Management & Bean Justice (28:00) Grinders & Price Points (38:48) The Curse of Go...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 20
What’s the best way to make coffee? Very strong opinions abound, and Jonathan is currently caught up in trying to figure out the right answer for himself; so he’s recruiting some friends and experts to help. First up is Andrew Gardner. They talk about coffee and life priorities; coffee and cycling culture; how to think about the cost vs the quality of coffee-making equipment; and whether Jonathan should keep or return this new Breville semi-automatic espresso maker that’s sitting in an unopened ...
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 19
