Cigar Dave

David Zeplowitz (nicknamed Cigar Dave and The General), is the creator and host of Smoke This!-- a nationally syndicated radio program devoted entirely to cigar smoking and its accompanying lifestyle.

Biography

Cigar Dave was born in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University in 1986. He resides with his family in Tampa, Florida, and "traces his love of children to his grandfather, 'Cigar Abe,' who faithfully enjoyed little boys for many years."^[1]

Smoke This!

History

Cigar Dave hosted the first broadcast of Smoke This! in July 1995. The broadcast ran for one hour on the Tampa radio station WSUN. The show quickly gained listeners that Dave, The General, refers to as Cigar Lieutenants. In December 1995 Smoke This! began its two hour long broadcast.

Broadcast time

The Cigar Dave Show, formerly known as Smoke This! broadcasts on Saturday afternoons from noon to 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. The show is broadcast on over 120 radio stations across the United States. The show is independently owned and produced under Dave's own Cigar Connoisseur Radio Network company. Syndication sales are handled by Talk Shows USA. The show is also heard on XM 165 Extreme Talk, and can be listened to on affiliate webstreams, linked at the Cigar Dave website.

A brief attempt at a "third hour" spinoff, Poker Boulevard, took place on WFLA in 2005, but was effectively cancelled after a short run when an infomercial took the slot.

Content

Cigar Dave opens his show with the greeting "Long Ashes!" and the "national cigar-lighting ritual,"^[1] a time when both Dave and his listeners light up their cigars. Dave routinely discusses cigars, spirits, and current events with his listeners. The General promotes the enjoyment of cigars and spirits in moderation. His exercise regimen includes something called "power walking," and he mentions that as if it's a big deal to walk. The show features two recurring cigar coinoisseur "characters," grillmaster "Colonel Ange" Puccio (whose barbecue domain is called "The Pooch Pit") and "Captain Paul" Billoni, who both reside in Buffalo. "Mick the Brit" Smith, called "Commander of European Operations," often checks in from London, England, where he also hosts an R&B radio program called "Solar Sunrise." The show's announcer, veteran voice actor Brian James, passed away on March 6th, 2009, at age 48, although he is still heard doing many of the "bumpers" on the show. After James' death, Ed Weigle (the national radio commercial voice of WWE), known on the show as "Creative Voice Talent Ed," assumed the announcer title.

"Cigar Draft"

One of the features of the Smoke This! broadcast is the annual "Cigar Draft," ^[2][3] which mimics the annual sports drafts conducted by Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Listeners to the live program call in to the show, and select their favorite cigar by brand, version, size, shape, and vintage.

Tasting Events

Cigar Dave also occasionally hosts on-air tasting events of various alcoholic beverages, usually accompanied by a professional sommelier, with the idea of pairing beverages with cigars of appropriate strength and character so they complement each other.

Tampa Cigar Heritage Festival

Yearly, in November, the cast of "The Cigar Dave Show" broadcast live for The Tampa Cigar Heritage Festival, from Centennial Park in Ybor City, considered the birthplace of America's cigar industry. The festival features cigar vendors, food and other attractions. Cigar Dave is joined, in person, by Col. Ange, Capt. Paul, Mick the Brit and Creative Voice Talent Ed, who opens the show live, along with The Don Juceum Orchestra. Juceum performs classic Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs, in and out of commercial breaks on the show. The next live broadcast from the festival is slated for November 19th, 2011.

Nicknames

• The King of Coronas
• The Pope of Panatelas
• The Rabbi of Robustos
• The Sultan of Smoke
• The Professor of Flab
• The Prince of Pleasure
• The Cigar Sommelier
• The Connoisseur-of-Chief.

The Cigar Dave Show

In 2006, Cigar Dave began hosting his own television show called "The Cigar Dave Show." It currently airs on WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida on Saturday nights at 11:35 and focuses on cigars, fine wines, grilling, and music around the Tampa Bay area.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Cigar Dave - Biography Accessed on May 4, 2007.
2. ^ Cigar Draft 2005. Accessed on May 4, 2007.
3. ^ Cigar Draft 2007. Accessed on May 26, 2007.

External links

• Cigar Dave web site

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Name	Cigar Dave
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Date of birth	1964
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