Cigar Coop 14th Anniversary

Today, we mark a big milestone on Cigar Coop—our 14th anniversary! Cigar Coop published its first article on August 15, 2010. What was supposed to be a temporary project is still going strong 14 years later.

Here is what I now write every year:

As always, we go back to the beginning, our first article Worth it for an Iced Coffee? Cigar Coop’s first article wasn’t even about cigars – it was about iced coffee. It started at the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. I joined with a group from my home base of Charlotte, North Carolina. We had registered as attendees at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. From that point, we had decided to go to the world-famous Cafe Du Monde for iced coffee. We trekked from the Convention Center in high temperature and high humidity. The walk was somehow memorable, and the iced coffee we were treated to was worth it. I was inspired to document the events of that short journey – and that would lead to the first article on Cigar Coop.

Admittedly, the first articles sucked and the photography was lousy. It’s still an important milestone for Cigar Coop as it shows the growth we have had since 2010.

Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 1: Worth it for an Iced Coffee?

In 2020, I documented the history of Cigar Coop in a ten-part series commemorating our tenth anniversary.

The Blog: Ten Years

 

Meanwhile, our daily Iron Man Publication streak, which I can confidently say is the longest in cigar media history, has been going on since July 3, 2012. That’s more than 12 years and over 4,400 consecutive days.

This past year was exciting, as Tripp and Denis brought Let’s Get Pairing into the Cigar Coop Coalition. By demand, we have also begun expanding into food reviews. These are currently under the umbrella of Cigar Coop—The Magazine (our written arm), but at some point, this could be done under its own branding as this concept evolves.

During our 14th anniversary year, Cigar Coop will return to New Orleans in April 2025 for the annual PCA Trade Show. This will mark the first time in nearly a decade that Cigar Coop will return to New Orleans.

Thank you to our audience, readers, sponsors, and strategic partners. Special thanks to Aaron, Bear, Dave, Ben,  Erron, Tripp, Denis, and Lisa for being a big part of what we’ve done here. This is the most fantastic team out there.