What's new

Room 101

A Huge Nerd

Lee-Hair-Oh
Rating - 100%
39   0   0
Joined
Jun 5, 2015
Messages
1,647
Location
Forest Lake, MN
There are a few people with brands of "their own" who made a big splash in the industry over the last few years. Many of those people really know marketing, branding, and how to sell products. Remember, advertising isn't about the product, it is about creating a need. Matt Booth is a talented designer and a talented promoter. He has a good eye for trends and patterns in style. He started a cigar brand out of curiosity and also a knowledge that the market was good for cigars from about 2005-2011. The market was primed for another boom, and along came the FDA. I agree with what was said before, the FDA did not kill Room 101 cigars. Matt Booth made a choice to leave. He made the right choice. Cigars were never really his passion. It was a side project that made him some decent coin and maybe gave him some exposure to another layer of clientele.

There are a few other smaller brands out there that are just that... Brands. They are run by people who have a feigning interest in cigars, but are keen with marketing and sales. They are looking for markets with money to be made. In general, they don't really care if the FDA kills the premium cigar market tomorrow. Do some of their brands put some good cigars on the market? Yes, but all made at factories that have been producing great cigars for decades. They own the brand and the name. They are the face of the brand, but they rarely get their hands dirty in the fields of Nicaragua or the factories in Dominican Republic.

Room 101 was built to get bought out by a big player like Davidoff, not because Matt Booth had a deep passion for the cigar world. I'm ok with that. It's capitalism, and it is beautiful. Just remember, Room 101 is only a brand name, not a legacy. When the FDA pinch starts to harm the legacy names like Fuente, DPG, and Padron... We all need to take notice. That will be the real beginning of the end.
 
Rating - 100%
62   0   0
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
2,957
Location
The City of Angels
There are a few people with brands of "their own" who made a big splash in the industry over the last few years. Many of those people really know marketing, branding, and how to sell products. Remember, advertising isn't about the product, it is about creating a need. Matt Booth is a talented designer and a talented promoter. He has a good eye for trends and patterns in style. He started a cigar brand out of curiosity and also a knowledge that the market was good for cigars from about 2005-2011. The market was primed for another boom, and along came the FDA. I agree with what was said before, the FDA did not kill Room 101 cigars. Matt Booth made a choice to leave. He made the right choice. Cigars were never really his passion. It was a side project that made him some decent coin and maybe gave him some exposure to another layer of clientele.

There are a few other smaller brands out there that are just that... Brands. They are run by people who have a feigning interest in cigars, but are keen with marketing and sales. They are looking for markets with money to be made. In general, they don't really care if the FDA kills the premium cigar market tomorrow. Do some of their brands put some good cigars on the market? Yes, but all made at factories that have been producing great cigars for decades. They own the brand and the name. They are the face of the brand, but they rarely get their hands dirty in the fields of Nicaragua or the factories in Dominican Republic.

Room 101 was built to get bought out by a big player like Davidoff, not because Matt Booth had a deep passion for the cigar world. I'm ok with that. It's capitalism, and it is beautiful. Just remember, Room 101 is only a brand name, not a legacy. When the FDA pinch starts to harm the legacy names like Fuente, DPG, and Padron... We all need to take notice. That will be the real beginning of the end.
How Do I like this many many times?
 
Rating - 100%
90   0   0
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
1,057
Location
Warren, MI
When the FDA pinch starts to harm the legacy names like Fuente, DPG, and Padron... We all need to take notice. That will be the real beginning of the end.
I think the beginning of the end already happened. Brands like Room 101 going away are step 2. Room 101 was by no means a top tier brand but they made some good sticks, and its not good to see Matt Booth leave the industry. What I won't miss is the pictures of Matt trying to look hard with his Dragonball Z blowout haircut, but the guy was ingenuitive and resourceful and made a pretty solid brand all things considered. The last 10 years have seen the rise of a "boutique" cigar industry which Matt was certainly a part of, and while his brand might not be overwhelmingly missed, other brands will be missed if/when they meet their untimely demise.
 
Last edited:
Rating - 100%
62   0   0
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
2,957
Location
The City of Angels
I think the beginning of the end already happened. Brands like Room 101 going away are step 2. Room 101 was by no means a top tier brand but they made some good sticks, and its not good to see Matt Booth leave the industry. What I won't is miss the pictures of Matt trying to look hard with his Dragonball Z blowout haircut, but the guy was ingenuitive and resourceful and made a pretty solid brand all things considered. The last 10 years have seen the rise of a "boutique" cigar industry which Matt was certainly a part of, and while his brand might not be overwhelmingly missed, other brands will be missed if/when they meet their untimely demise.
I'll be looking at RomaCraft, Illusione, Warped and CH. I'll be looking at Dunbarton and Foundation. These are guys who know and love tobacco and are dedicated to its craft, and to the business. They're smart and resourceful. And I am certain that they will thrive.

There is zero correlation between the FDA and Room 101 folding up shop. There's not even a pattern; and I don't think one will emerge. We are going to keep smoking, and as long as that's true, the guys who make good sticks will get my money. And yours.

The FDA thing is not great for tobacco. It's not supposed to be. But the sky ain't falling and this too shall pass.
 
Top