CRAFTED

Top mountain guide certifications (like AMGA and IFMGA) have a pass rate of around 70%. But what if we told you that in the wine world, the most rigorous certifications have a pass rate that’s only about 8% — and it’s often lower than that.The certifications of ‘Master Sommelier’ and ‘Master of Wine’ are two of the most demanding in any field. And our guest today, Doug Frost, is one of only three people in the world to hold both.So Doug and Eli dig into what makes these courses so challenging; the differences between the two; and, most importantly, why they matter. We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

Jonathan started falling down the rabbit hole of hi-fi audio gear, and he says it’s all Simon’s fault. So in this conversation, Simon talks to Jonathan about his audio journey; why he’s singled out the world of hi-fi headphones as a place to begin; why he’s become a believer in “EQ”; and why it feels almost inevitable that he’ll end up exploring the world of loudspeakers, too.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberBLISTER NEWSLETTER:Get It & Our Weekly Gear GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:Craft Collective (1:18)Why Headphones Make Sense (5:53)Is Beethoven the Original Heavy Metal? (12:25)Headphones vs Speakers (15:57)Jonathan’s First Hi-Fi Headphones (29:19)Why You Should ‘EQ’ (35:07)The Qudelix-5k DAC/AMP + Equalizer (36:20)Dedicated Headphone Amp vs Integrated Amp (40:49)The JDS Labs Headphone AMP+DAC (44:10)Active vs Passive Speakers (1:01:18)Where To Go From Here? (1:06:35)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast

Located at the base of Palisades Tahoe, Wildflour Baking Company is probably the most beloved bakery in skiing, and it definitely has the most accomplished customer base in the ski world. So Jonathan sat down with Wildflour owner, Susan Lopez, to talk about it all, and learn some of the secrets to Wildflour’s success.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

What if everything you thought you knew about taste was wrong? Although we like to think flavor lives on the tongue, the truth is far more interesting; more than 80 percent of what we taste is actually smell. That revelation sits at the heart of Dr. Kevin Peterson’s groundbreaking book, Cocktail Theory, which is transforming the way bartenders, chefs, and curious drinkers think about their craft. In Part 1 of this series, we explored the foundations of his thinking, but we also left plenty of questions on the table. In this conversation, Kevin is back to tie up those loose ends. We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

How do you grow a national beverage brand without investors, trend-chasing, or artificial ingredients? Dram began as an all natural cocktail bitters producer, and (unintentionally) went on to become the leader in the ‘functional beverage’ space.Today, Eli talks with Dram founder, Shae Whitney, about Dram’s unlikely origin story; what led her to start making bitters with real botanicals; building a business in a Colorado ghost town; the strange history of their original production space; and how Dram navigated the rise of functional beverages without chasing trends.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

Mads Buchardt founded Buchardt Audio with a vision of offering high-end sound and Scandinavian design at the best possible price. Known for “big sound in compact designs,” many of Buchardt’s speakers are handcrafted in their woodshop in Denmark using the finest Danish oak, and their loudspeakers exemplify the minimalist aesthetic that is a hallmark of Scandinavian design.Simon talks with Mads about how Buchardt Audio is delivering on its vision by offering speakers that sound incredible, are visually stunning, and a great value.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberHeaven 11Floreo Coffee CoBuchardt AudioTOPICS & TIMES:Growing up with Music (6:03)Getting into Hi-Fi (8:04)Founding Buchardt Audio (9:42)Mads’ First Speakers (12:08)What are Passive Radiators? (12:55)Staying Small & Running Lean (16:53)Early Challenges (18:53)Big Sound in a Compact Design (22:22)Manufacturing in Silkeborg (25:30)Buchardt’s Masterpiece: the E50 (27:14)Active Speakers (43:57)What's Next for Buchardt Audio (55:36)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastBLISTER NEWSLETTER:Get It & Our Weekly Gear Giveaways

For years, the “Mr. Potato Head” theory of drinks was accepted by bartenders to create new cocktails and memorize recipes. But until the release of Cocktail Theory, by Dr. Kevin Petersen, no one had taken the time to prove it, and now, Cocktail Theory is reshaping how bartenders are designing drinks. Today, Eli talks with Kevin about his diverse background and how it informs cocktail creation; the Mr. Potato Head theory of cocktails; the core concepts of the book; and much more.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

ACASTZerno is one of the hottest brands in the world of specialty coffee, and for good reasons. So Jonathan recently met up with Zerno’s founder, Vel Genov, at their brand-new manufacturing center in Chicago, and today, you’ll get to hear their follow-up conversation, where they discuss what led Vel to design & manufacture coffee grinders in Chicago; Vel’s obsession with quality, functionality, and aesthetics (rather than price); burr sizes and why they matter; product design, iteration, and manufacturing; comparisons between the Zerno Z1 and the new Z2; and more.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.