Hey, trust me, jeepjeepwhat,
none of those pipe tobacco blends I mentioned will be at all like cigarettes! Plus they won't have that nasty harsh aroma from acrolein produced by the burning paper! They are all rich flavorful sweet Virginia tobacco, some with a bit of oriental or turkish for spicy complexity, and even a touch of latakia for smooth smokiness and depth.
Do check the pipe forums, and the tasting notes on the aficionado review/recommendations website.
And certainly get a few corn cobs to sample different styles of tobacco so you don't get conflicts, at least one for an english, maybe one for a cavendish, and maybe one for an aromatic. You don't need to break them in at first, although dampening the initial bowl very slightly does help (not wet, just dampen your finger tip and run it in the bowl). On eof my favorite late summer/early fall smokes is MacBaren's Virginia #1 in a new cob pipe ... sweet, smooth, mild and with an aroma that everyone likes. Reminds me of tobacco curing in the barns when I grew up in NC with a little honey and honeysuckle sweetness and the fresh tartness Fall's first leaves thrown in. Let your pipes dry out in the open air for a while after smoking them because there will be some moisture. It doesn't take long for a cob, in fact you can smoke one for a day before giving it a rest. A good briar will do so as well but will require a few days to rest and dry out afterwards.
In a briar pipe the "carbon cake" will build up after you smoke it for a while. It insulates the wood of the briar from the char, and helps provide a more even burn. It is also important to learn to pack the pipe correctly; too loose and it won't burn well, too tight and it won't draw well and will bite. Also, don't forget to tamp down the ash slightly as it burns through the column. It will keep the pipe burning evenly and keep it from getting too hot. It also helps to puff/exhale into the pipe very gently on occasion, to feed the char air from the bottom. The traditional method is to load the pipe, light a charring burn and draw it down, let it go out, tamp and relight. I think most of us use some really loose variation thereof. The pipe smoking sites and forums will give you much advice. As far as lighting goes, I use wooden matches. Or sometimes a cheap butane lighter, but wooden matches are best. I hate the smell lighter fluid imparts and wouldn't use it.
