CRAFTED

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 LINKSCRAFTED ep. 23 w/ JING’s Ed EislerCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Coffee, Tea, & Skis (5:12)Curiosity (12:41)Standards (21:47)Buying Local (25:49)Principles & Sourcing Tea (30:26)Going Forward (32:13)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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; the return of old tech; and more.RELATED LINKSCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Why are we talking about cast iron cookware (2:57)Defining "Nicer" (9:26)Amatuer Hour PA (13:25)Price Ranges (15:28)Rape Seed Oil Sanding (21:20)Why Cast Iron and the Obsession (23:53)Current Landscape of Cast Iron (27:57)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 LINKSCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Defining Terms (8:59)The cold plunge trick (25:15)Heart and inflammation (27:19)hot tub vs sauna (29:42)planning a sauna and costs (31:17)Temperatures (43:14)Sauna Enthusiasm and becoming a Shaman (48:30)Infrared (51:57)Wrap Up (55:02)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 LINKSCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:1: Luke Kopppa (2:11)2: Dylan Wood (13:49)3: Simon Stewart (26:17)4: Kara Williard (36:56)5: Jonathan Ellsworth (45:33)6: Eric Freson (56:59)7: Sascha Anastas (1:10:42)8: Kristin Sinnott (1:18:28)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Davenport, Emily Harrington, Drew Holcomb, Vasu Sojitra, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Adrian Ballinger have all signed up to push this mission forward.RELATED LINKSRevelshine WinesCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveJoin Us! Become a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Special Offer on Revelshine: (2:43)Jake’s Background in the Wine World (4:30)Limerick Lane & Starting Revelshine (6:30)Assessing Our Impacts on the World (33:25)Other Benefits of Shaking Things Up (40:54)The Juice: Revelshine’s Offerings (48:24)‘BLISTERSHIP’, Distribution, & purchasing (59:45)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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)rRelating 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 (57:54)Beginner arrows vs advanced Arrows (1:00:19)Art and Science of Arrows (1:04:10)RELATED LINKSCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberCRAFTED ep. 8 on Traditional BowsBlister Pod ep. 287 on Broadening the Outdoor CommunitySEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Uses (20:04)Changes to the Formula (24:34)Made in Vermont (27:36)Marketing Product Uses & Discovering New Ones (31:01)Bar Soap & (Serious) Exfoliation (35:08)Stewarding a 125-Yr-Old Heritage Brand (40:08)Most Common Uses & Emotional Support Chickens (47:36)How Libby’s Background Informs Her Work at Bag Balm (53:33)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Mission/Ethics (7:25)Why Chicago for Apparel Manufacturing? (13:38)Misconceptions about US Manufacturing (18:46)‘Made in the USA’ Debate & Shopping Local (22:11)Cost (28:33)Solving for Fit & Advertising Challenges (33:39)Premium -- but Affordable?? -- Products (38:03)Growth & Scale (41:11)Materials & Fabrics: What Should We Know? (49:46)New Products & Contract Work (56:08)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 & gun’ approach to running a restaurant; the history of the service and sacrifices made by many Hmong people on behalf of the USA; patriotism; curiosity; football; the art of Hmong cuisine; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Managing Restaurants, Flexibility, & Football (8:29)Current State of Food Culture in the USA (22:16)Being Anti "Fusion" (28:01)Hmong / US History (34:02)Hmong Cuisine & Hmong Clans (46:41)The Craft of Hmong Cuisine (51:46)Past, Current, & Future Projects (56:20)RELATED LINKSHmonglish PodcastUnion Hmong KitchenBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 trips to Japan (Blister members, listen up); and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Peated Scotch & Spit Buckets (3:18)Signatory, Edradour, & Independent Bottling Co’s (6:41)Matt’s Top-3 ‘Hottest’ Scotch Producers (14:22)Country-Specific Offerings: Scotch & Skis (21:38)Blister Members: want to go to Japan? (26:15)“Consistency,” Quality, & “Craft” (29:00)Sherry (43:49)The Short Lives of Humans & Craft Products (49:45)Cheese, Gin, & Maple Syrup (56:22)Fair Warning: Things Get Loose. Stop Listening? (1:01:30)Austrian Food Review (1:01:35)Arran 10, Arran 18, & Tamdhu 15 (1:09:54)Drunken Blister Summit Offer & Ramblings (1:19:52)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberCRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 2SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.