Room 101 Johnny Tobacconaut

Room 101 cigars are the creation of American Matt Booth. A former Marine in the U.S. Army, he made a name for himself starting in 2003 as a designer and entrepreneur in Los Angeles’ street style scene. Covered head to toe in tattoos and often seen wearing chunky silver jewelry on his fingers and around his neck, Booth naturally exudes major street credibility! ;-) Around 2010, he began experimenting with cigars, initially having his creations produced by Camacho Cigars of the Eiroa family. Even back then, he was already known for his unconventional blend of tattoos, heavy metal, and retro designs.

From George Orwell to the Scandinavian Tobacco Group: The Name Philosophy Behind Room 101

The origin—or rather, the reference—of the name itself is also quite interesting. Although I read the book back in school (and let’s be honest, parts of today’s world might even feel a bit like it), I had forgotten that Room 101 in George Orwell’s dystopian novel *1984* is the infamous torture chamber. In that room, every person is confronted with their deepest fear, making it a symbol of extreme personal confrontation. The story is a bit too bleak for my taste, so I never quite got why someone would name their cigars after a fictional literary torture chamber—then again, that probably explains why my grades in German and literature were well below average.

Room 101 Cigars: Matt Booth’s Unconventional Style

According to official sources, Matt Booth chose the name because it represents the process of confronting inner truths. For him, Room 101 cigars are a medium for creativity, rebellion, and pushing boundaries. Got it? Exactly. Anyway, back to the history of his cigars: from 2009 to 2016, he had his cigars produced by Camacho in Honduras. After Christian Eiroa sold the brand to a Swiss corporation, production shifted to Oettinger/Davidoff. Shortly after, Matt chose not to renew his contract in early 2017 and temporarily stepped away from the cigar business—though everyone kind of expected he wouldn’t be gone for long!

From Camacho to AJ Fernandez: The Production Journey of Room 101 Cigars

Soon after, he reemerged through a collaboration with Robert Caldwell. Their first joint project, the Hit & Run cigars, were rolled at Tabacalera Ventura and AJ Fernandez. More recently, another major development took place: in 2022, Matt sold his cigar brand to tobacco giant Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). Since then, he has been serving as their creative director for cigar product development. In this role, he visited us during his European tour in spring 2025 to launch the cigars featured here. He turned out to be a relaxed and refreshingly unpretentious guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously—and threw in a few sarcastic jokes along the way. Definitely my kind of person!

Johnny Tobacconaut: When Tobacco Meets Space Fantasy

Cigars under this name were first launched in 2015, though the current release shares little with the original apart from the name. The wrapper is an Ecuador Connecticut Shade, the binder is Mexican, and the filler tobaccos are all from Nicaragua. Matt coined the name Johnny Tobacconaut by fusing the words astronaut and tobacco, symbolizing a space traveler guiding cigar lovers through a universe of flavor. This theme is charmingly reflected in the cigar band and box design—showing a cute little astronaut with a shovel in hand and tobacco leaves on his back, wandering through his own unique world.