Tag Archives: Matt Booth

by CigarCraig | August 31, 2014 · 9:51 am

Room 101 Big Payback and Matt Booth at the RMCF, an Island Jim and a Tatuaje

As I’m starting to sort out the videos I took at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival last weekend, I figured I’d start off with Matt Booth of Room 101 Cigars and just get it over with. One never know’s what to expect with Matt, always entertaining and after all is said and done, he’s a class guy. His table was right next to the Halfwheel table, hence the comment a few moments into the video. Last night I smoked the Room 101 Big Payback Chavala, which is a 5″ x 50 classic robusto. This is a value line for Room 101, made in Nicaragua, and coming in around the $5 mark. I see this trend of value cigars, with the Tatuaje Tattoo and Illusione‘s Rothchild and Gigante, and it’s not bad. The Chavala was a really great smoke, it burned perfectly and had a nice tobacco sweetness that I really enjoyed. I think this is a great smoke and will be picking up some more of these in the future.

Here’s the video with Matt. I really need to better prepare myself for these things….

Friday was my birthday, 51, if you’re counting, so my wife took me out to Cigar Mojo down in King of Prussia, PA and we ordered a couple pizzas and sat around smoking cigars and watching TV! I selected the new Island Jim by Oscar Valladares Tobacco and Company for my birthday smoke. Island Jim is Jim Robinson who owns the Leaf and Bean shops in the Pittsburgh area. He’s probably a Penguins fan, but I won’t hold that against him. This torpedo with the shaggy foot appealed to me for some reason, and of all the great cigars available in that shop, this one was the one I decided on. The head of this has a Connecticut band and a Maduro band and is not capped, but does need a cut midway through the Connecticut stripe for a great draw. I smoked this just about to that Connecticut stripe, it was that good. I don’t have any regrets at all about choosing this for my celebration cigar, it was smooth with a nice sweetness, and a unique flavor I couldn’t pinpoint. I suppose I’ll have to smoke another one eventually to see if I can nail that flavor down. The high point of the evening was having a childhood friend stop in and share a smoke. We’ll call him “Pat Smith”, and we grew up in the same neighborhood and played in our first garage bands together in the ’70s. I hadn’t seen this guy in over 30 years, and closed the Mojo talking and smoking. It was a very nice evening, although I wish people in the lounge had taken me up on the pizza offer…we had to bring a whole pie home!

Saturday I selected a special cigar that Will Cooper sent me last year for my birthday, a Tatuaje Monster Series Mummy. This is a 7¾” x 47 cigar that had what I thought was a very Cuban smoking experience. It burned like a Havana, that is to say it was a little loosely rolled and burned pretty fast. The flavor also reminded me of a Havana a little, I can’t say specifically, which line, but the overall experience was reminiscent of a fine Cuban cigar. It has a little zing, but was still smooth and rich. I enjoyed the heck out of this cigar. I don’t have a great deal of experience with the Tatuaje brand, but what I have smoked I liked, and this was a really nice Saturday afternoon smoke. Thank you, Mr. Cooper, for this gift. Sorry it took me a year to get to, but I think I timed it perfectly!

That’s it for now. Not sure what’s on the block for today, but it’s a holiday weekend, so I’ll be selecting something good for sure. Enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading along!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under Events, Review, Video

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Island Jim, Matt Booth, Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival, Room 101, tatuaje

by CigarCraig | July 28, 2013 · 10:14 am

IPCPR 2013 – Room 101 Cigars with Matt Booth

Today’s IPCPR video features our visit with none other than Room 101‘s own Matt Booth. I still find it to be quite a contrast that Matt is in the Davidoff booth, but Davidoff has done a wonderful job diversifying their portfolio with the addition of the newly re-branded Camacho, Room 101 and Cusano. They seem to have all the bases covered as far as tastes and price ranges go. Room 101 falls in the middle of the pack in both price and flavor profile. I smoked a Room 101 San Andreas 808, the 6″x60 size, the other night and enjoyed the heck out of it, although I prefer the 305 (robusto) or the Papi Chulo sizes myself. When I bought this it was the only size the shop has in the San Andreas, which was disappointing. Of course, I like just about anything with the words San and Andreas together anyway, so this is a no brainer for me. It’s a rich, satisfying smoke that just about kicked my butt a little! Matt makes a lot of very enjoyable smokes, including the Namakubi Ecuador that was released over the last year, and Smoke Inn‘s Microblend Series Big Delicious (which was!). Enough of my nonsense, check out the video and see what Matt has to say.

Anytime I talk to Matt it’s an adventure, and always entertaining and informative. Many thanks to Matt for letting me drag him out of the Davidoff party bus they had parked in the booth to get this video.

That’s it for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

Comments Off on IPCPR 2013 – Room 101 Cigars with Matt Booth

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Video

Tagged as Camacho, cigar, cigars, davidoff, IPCPR, Matt Booth, Room 101

by CigarCraig | May 26, 2013 · 10:58 am

A Room 101 Event and a Few Cigars on a Saturday Afternoon and Local News

Friday after work I shot down to Old Havana Cigars in West Chester, PA. They were having a Room 101 event and Matt Booth was there, along with the Davidoff rep who prefers to retain his anonymity so we’ll call him “Tom Smith”. I was disappointed that they only had the Serie SA in the 6×60 size, as I had wanted to get some more of those, but Matt talked me into the new Namakubi Ecuador in the Ranfla size, which is a 6.5 x 50 perfecto. Now, it’s no easy feat getting this cheap SOB to spring $10 for a cigar. I find that every time I come back from a cigar factory visit, my price threshold seems to go up a little as my education and appreciation for the work that goes into making these things. It turns out that this cigar was well worth the investment, and I’m glad I got two (and a pair of Ecuador Papi Chulos and a SA). The cigar burned perfectly, drew perfectly and had spectacular flavor. I enjoyed the heck out of the cigar while hanging out in the front of the store watching the antics of some of the regulars and talking with “Tom”. The lounge in the back of the store was packed, so I didn’t even venture back there. I also had the good fortune of meeting Evan, of TheSmokinGreek.com, another blogger who I recently discovered lived in my area. I had a great time, the events at Old Havana are always a hoot. If you ever find yourself in south-east PA, stop in, and as Tony the owner says: “just buy your cigars and get the f*** out!”. It’s always a pleasure hanging with Matt, he’s a character and a hell of a good guy.

Saturday I spent the afternoon hanging around my patio with my childhood friend, Jeff, smoking cigars and shooting the bull. I started with a Gurkha Beauty XO (6” x 60) that was a hand out at the grand opening of the Cigars International store in Hamburg, PA last November. Jeff enjoys the occasional cigar, and prefers milder ones when he smokes, so I set him up with one of my favorites, the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta. I enjoy the heck out of that cigar, and I think it’s educational as well. The two inches of Nicaraguan leaf on the head of the cigar gives a totally different mouth feel than the Ecuador Connecticut leaf and is a great way to illustrate how the wrapper changes the entire cigar. I enjoyed the Gurkha, it was a mild and smooth cigar, and had a nice flavor. For the first cigar of the day this one wasn’t bad. After we finished with these, round two featured a CAO Concert Roadie for me, and a Rocky Patel Edge Candela for him. I figured (correctly) that he had never had a green cigar, and thought it would be a good continuation of his education. I chose the Concert because we were talking and I wanted a solid, flavorful and familiar cigar that I didn’t really have to pay attention to. I have had occasions in the past when a particularly good cigar distracts me from personal interaction. Not to say that the Concert isn’t particularly good, it is, but I’ve smoked enough of them that I know what to expect. Despite the breezy day (it was only in the 60s, which is disappointing for Memorial Day weekend) my cigars burned straight and well. Jeff had some problems with the candela, but that probably wasn’t the wind’s fault, I’ve had crooked burns with candela cigars plenty in the past. It was nice to spend an afternoon catching up with an old friend and smoking some nice cigars. For those who care, I enjoyed a Vernors Ginger Soda with the Gurkha, and an IBC Rootbeer with the CAO.

News Update (addded 05/27)

Of local interest, and perhaps only of interest to me, The West Chester PA shop, G & G Cigars was recently sold to the Cigar Cigars chain of stores in SouthEastern PA. This will increase the CigarCigars chain to seven stores, including a store in Freehold, NJ (which used to be the brick and mortar side of Firehouse Cigars, which was an early online cigar seller). According the Doug Gianforte, who owned the shop along with his wife, Jan, they will be closing the deal tomorrow and all of the employees are staying on, except for he and his wife, obviously. I will miss running into Doug and Jan at the IPCPR show (where I seem to see them more than I do at the shop). I will be interested to see what changes, if anything, at the shop.

That’s all I got for now, it’s another beautiful day out, and tomorrow is Memorial Day, so spare a moment to smoke a fine cigar in remembrance of all those who gave their lives so that we can sit around smoking cigars!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as CAO, cigar, cigar store, cigars, Gurkha, joya de nicaragua, Matt Booth, Namakubi, Old Havana Cigars, rocky patel, Room 101

by CigarCraig | April 4, 2012 · 7:03 pm

A Monte Pascoal, a New Room 101 Cigar and News from CAO

Monday evening I was in the mood for something interesting, so I grabbed a Monte Pascoal Belicoso. This Brazilian puro came to me from Wesley Genzel who is the US distributor for the brand, and a really cool guy. I first made his acquaintance at the 2010 IPCPR show where I found myself standing in the wrong registration line with him (I was in the wrong line, he was fine) . I was also privileged to be present at the Cigar Journal awards ceremony where Monte Pascoal was awarded the best cigar from Brazil. Now, most of us probably associate Brazilian tobacco with nice, dark maduro wrappers like one finds on the CAO Brazilia, or Toraño Exodus 1959 50 years, but the Monte Pascoal has what I would call a Natural wrapper. It doesn’t have the heavy flavors I associate with the maduro wrappers, of course, and is a really nice, smooth, well balanced cigar. It’s interesting to smoke different sizes of this line and see the differences presented in each vitola, the Minuto is decidedly stronger than the robusto or belicoso. It’s a very cool line, if you can get your hands on some, I’d recommend trying them.

Since I visited with Matt Booth last week, I didn’t want to waste any time trying out his soon to be released Room101 San Andreas. I have a real weakness for Mexican San Andreas wrapper, so it was all I could do to leave this in the humidor for a couple days. I had a short amount of time between dinner (General Tso’s Chicken, Beef and Broccoli) and the Flyers game, so I set out on my evening walk with this little puppy. The sample I received was the same size as the Papi Chulo, 4″ x 42. I’m actually guessing, I was too excited to smoke it so I forgot to measure it. I punched it, and got a blast of flavor on the cold draw. At this point I know I’m in for a treat. And a treat it was! This is a cigar one needs a beverage with, it’s one of a few cigars that makes me salivate, I bee-lined it to the root beer when I got home from my walk. I so enjoyed this little cigar, and too soon it was gone! I generally smoke a cigar to a finger-burning nub, but when I got to that point, it was still delicious. I had no choice but to impale the little bastard with a toothpick and suck the last little bits of goodness from it. I look forward to these being released, I believe the band on this, and I like the band, it clearly states it’s a pre-release sample, says it’s coming out mid-April. I heard someplace that the robusto is the real gem in this line.

News

I’m not one to re-print every press release that comes through my e-mail box, I feel compelled to share this one with you, as I think it’s really cool.

CAO SAYS JUDGMENT DAY IS COMING

Promotion Gives Fans a Chance to Choose New Blend

Richmond, VA—When their fans talk, the team at CAO listens. From now (April 3, 2012) through June 30, 2012, cigar smokers will have a chance to select an upcoming CAO blend, as part of the brand’s “Last Stick Standing” promotion.

CAO’s senior brand manager Ed McKenna explains, “Rick Rodriguez has been developing blends with our team in Nicaragua and has come up with three which we think are all great. So we’re calling on CAO fans to help us pick the blend that will ultimately be launched as a new CAO collection, to be released late this year, or in early 2013.”

A special three-pack tin called the Last Stick Standing is now available for free with the purchase of any six CAO cigars at participating cigar shops across the U.S. Each tin contains three distinct blends, aptly named C, A and O. The cigars all measure 5 1/2” x 54, which is what Rick Rodriguez considers to be the ideal size for allowing consumers to truly evaluate each blend.

A dedicated website (www.lss.caocigars.com) will serve as a virtual voting booth, allowing cigar smokers to rate each cigar on certain criteria, such as flavor, body, construction and overall experience.

For every rating submitted, consumers will be entered to win a box of the winning CAO blend before it’s available for purchase, or the grand prize, an all-expense paid trip for the winner and a guest to the CAO factory in Nicaragua. Sharing entries on the Last Stick Standing Facebook page will provide consumers with multiple entries to win.

Last Stick Standing, AKA “Judgment Day” events will be held at select tobacco shops across the country, with special event-exclusive offers featuring CAO OSA Sol “Lot T” (4 ½” x 50) and “Lot 46” (5 ¼” x 46 ) which will be released later this year as the first new additions to CAO OSA Sol since its debut last September. In addition, a handpicked group of preferred CAO retailers will host guided Last Stick Standing tastings by Rick Rodriguez who will share his insight on the three blends.

General cigar did something similar quite a while ago in the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur line, where they sent samples and had consumers choose the favorite of the two. This resulted in what many of us always wanted, an Excalibur with a Cameroon wrapper, the 1066. I had the pleasure of participating in a similar exercise last fall when visiting General Cigar on the DR. We were given three cigars and asked for our input. It’s always fun to smoke cigar blind, and to be able to have a voice in the selection of a new cigar is pretty cool.

That’s it for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig

2 Comments

Filed under News, Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as CAO, cigar, cigars, general cigars, Matt Booth, Monte Pascoal, Room 101

by CigarCraig | April 1, 2012 · 9:51 am

Room 101 Cigars Event at Old Havana Cigar Co.

Friday evening Matt Booth from Room 101 was making an appearance at a local shop, Old Havana Cigar Co. in West Chester, PA. I frequently attend events there and it’s always really busy, Friday being no exception. I purchased a handful of singles and lit up a Room 101 ‘305’, which is the robusto in the line. I enjoyed the cigar, probably not surprising since I’ve long been a fan of Camacho cigars. I had the great pleasure of talking to Tom Smith, the Davidoff representative, who doesn’t like bloggers. I can see his point, which is that particularly popular bloggers can cause damage to a brand or shop by giving a bad review. I suspect that the number of cigar smokers who are influenced by blogs is reasonably small, as I haven’t run into too many people hanging around in cigar stores that use the Internet for any kind of cigar stuff, be it forums, blogs or whatever. Certainly we need to be responsible and not pretend we are experts and tell people what they may or may not like. The 305 was a really nice cigar, very Honduran and perfectly made.

I followed the 305 with a Namakubi Papi Chulo (is it a coincidence that “Papi Chulo” and “petite corona” share the same initials?). This is a nice little 4″ x 42 with a reddish Habano wrapper. It took a little work getting it to light right, but ended up being packed with flavor and smoking very nicely. I was going to leave after the 305, but I got to talking to a gentleman who came in and was lighting up a Papi Chulo, so I decided to join him. He was an interesting gentleman, he had taken the opportunity in college to study abroad in Havana, which was interesting. He had a sincere interest in cigars and was really refreshing to talk to. The Papi Chulo was terrific, but short, so I was soon done and decided to head home. I took a few minutes to talk to Matt on my way out. If you have a chance to meet him, take it, because he’s a nut, but one of the nicest nuts out there. We had a little back and forth on zipper up vs. zipper down (on my jacket, what were you thinking?), all I can say is: Matt, you worry about your CDO, I’ll worry about mine, K?. Very cool guy. Also cool was Tom Smith of Davidoff, even though he hates bloggers. A wealth of information on all things cigar. I appreciate the chance to meet and hang out with both of these gents.

Summary: Room 101 cigars good, although priced a little higher than I’m comfortable with. Sometimes one has to factor in the overall experience and it makes it worthwhile. On a side note, I got to thinking about petite coronas vs. larger cigars. Certainly petite coronas offer a different, often more flavorful smoke, and when it comes to variety, you can smoke several vastly different small cigars in the time it takes to smoke one large one. However, this is a tough sell for me when the price is close: do I pay $5 or$6 for a PC, or $6 or $7 for a Churchill? I usually choose cigars based upon the time I have to smoke them, so this isn’t generally something I worry about. Another little item rattling around in my head: I was once told that it costs nearly as much to make a small cigar as it does to make a big one. Manufacturers can’t price the coronas and PCs that close to the larger vitolas, so you are actually getting a good deal on the smaller cigars, as the larger cigar sales basically subsidize the smaller ones. Not really relevant to anything, just something that comes up in my head from time to time…