[agony]

I kinda know how you feel, as I'm new to pipes as well, though versed enough in cigars. When I first picked up the pipe, it tasted totally different than cigars, in that the tactile feeling was different (plastic bit vs. cigar leaf in the lips). And the smoke was of a different character too. To me, pipes seemed closer to cigarette tobacco than cigar tobacco. At first anyway.

For the past couple days I've been smoking Old Gowrie, and the first bowl disappointed me....I thought it tasted like Half and Half!

But the more English blends with latakia are quite different, and the taste was quite evident. The nose does play as much if not the most important part when I'm differntiating between tastes, moreso than the taste buds alone.