[Curly Cut]

what he said. both answers are good.

the reason for the pipe resting is so it'll cool off and dry out. if you smoke back to back bowls, that's alright as the bowl is still warm and moist. if you let it cool off, the expansion/contraction could cause weakening of the briar. i'm not a scientist at all, but i believe that is the reason why ppl say you need to give your pipe a rest.

as far as tamping goes, i only tamp a few times... when i do a quick re-light, and it doesn't really help, then i'll tamp. since i'm not in a smoking contest, i only re-light for a couple puffs, not 5 or so to get a raging fire going... so, if it doesn't take off after a couple puff re-light, i'll either knock out some ash, or i'll tamp and re-light.