Question: Do you think that I should age my tobacco? How long should I age it for?

Answer: The simple answer is yes. Tobacco of any sort gets better with age (when properly stored mind you). To notice a difference in taste, you will have to wait between a year and a half to two years (you may notice after several months depending on your olfactory senses, but really, the two year mark makes a noticeable difference). As far as I know, there is no maximum time for storage and aging.

Question: What should I use to light my pipe? Are matches better than lighters?

Answer: This, unfortunately, is not as easy of an answer as you might think. While choosing between a match and lighter for cigars (and indeed between wooden and paper matches) is a choice made by the way each affects taste, it is not quite the same for pipes, though affecting taste certainly is a factor.

For me it is very situational. Lighters provide an even light and lights tobacco flakes pretty easily. Also, with a lighter you can ignite the tobacco at the bottom of the bowl without burning the hell out of your finger, as is the case with matches. The downside is that cigarette lighters can add a fuely taste to your smoke.

Matches, for me, provide a sort of old school throwback that brings a smile to my face. If you let the match rest for a second before lighting your tobacco then you won’t have to worry about the sulfur taste (the same is true to some extent with cigarette lighters, depending on the type). It also lights the tobacco in a less harsh manner, as the heat is not intense.

Other factors need to be considered as well. If it is windy outside, you may want a lighter; if you are traveling, you may want to bring matches, else your light be confiscated. At the end of the day, there is no wrong or right answer here. It is simply a matter of personal preference.