I will take a stab at a couple of answers
.
I personally like to rub out flakes to a similar consistency to ribbon cut (because I have not gotten the hang of folding it in the bowl yet
, one thing at a time). For me this has been the best way to get a consistent smoke.
As to the flavour of burnt wood in the cob, I noticed something similar (though kind of sweet) to the first couple of bowls in a new cob. The thing to remember is that you do not need a cake build up in a cob, though I think it needs to char a little to not interfere with the tobacco as much.
Hopefully this helps a little.