Hey guys, I been smoking cigars for years now, and recently decided to cross to the other side of the tracks and try pipe tobacco. A friend pointed me to Rich Lewis' shop in downtown Minneapolis and since I was visiting MN in-laws for a week, I stopped by to see him. Great guy, really nice and helpful, and a wealth of knowledge. I understand he's one of the top pipe-makers in the world, too (so says my friend who owns many Lewis' pipes). Anyway, Rich set me up with what I believe to be the standard starter kit: A Missouri Meerschaum cob pipe, plus a bit of IQ, English Supreme, La Salle, and Navy Flake tobaccos to try. I also got some pipe cleaners and the ubiquitous "Czech Pipe Tool" because tradition.
So I fired it up last night and quickly realized it's going to take some learning curve to get this "packing" thing down. I'm real familiar with how a cigar should draw - is that the same draw I should look for when I'm packing a pipe?
UPDATE: Packed a bowl of English Supreme last night until I felt the draw tighten up similar to an open cigar, then I lit and smoked it. Worked much better. It just takes practice.