Have you signed up for the noob piper trade thread? Do eet!

Lots of good advice here so far. Here's the deal. Pipe Baccy is far more subtle in flavor and note than cigars, but there is a ton more variety in the blends than there is with cigars. Try some different blends, but keep in mind that as your skill level improves you will get a lot more flavors.

Packing is an art that is individual to different pipes and pipers, and even blends. Don't worry about re lights - as you get more experience, you will get better. Even so, relights are not out of the ordinary as they are with cigars.

Slow down, then slow down more. Sip the pipe rather than pulling on it. If you don't like a blend, set it aside and try again sometime down the line. Cobs are great pipes, and good for learning. Briars are good too, but both will impart different characters to the smoke.

Above all, don't give up. You will reach a point where it just plain works, upon which you will really start to enjoy things. Codger blends like SWR and PA are great to learn with, but they aren't the only ones. If you can't abide them, try something else that agrees with you while you learn. I started with Sutliff Maple Street and tried a lot of different blends when I started. Used to hate VAs and VaPers, but now they are my favorites. What used to just taste like a cigarette is sublime now.

And I've really come to enjoy SWR!