petewho

From one noob to another:

- Stick with it. My first two times I got tongue bite. Then it took a month to start developing a pallet for pipe tobaccos (at first I "couldn't taste anything" when smoking a pipe). Patience is key.

- Get a soft-flame pipe lighter. If you're smoking slow enough to have a cool dry smoke that doesn't bite your tongue, the pipe will seem to go out six jillion times. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of keeping it lit without getting too hot later.

- Dry out your tobak a little. I like to pull out enough for one bowl and let it sit out for an hour before packing, er, rather, loading my pipe.

Enjoy!