I love beer (I brew my own), but I agree with the irritating quality of carbonation while smoking a pipe. Whiskey and coffee are great with a pipe or cigar. As always, enjoy in moderation.
But is it any good. I have rolled pipe tobacco in the past. Peter Stokkebye does some thin ribbons that are dual purpose (Amsterdam, etc.). Chunkier cuts don't usually burn right.
I have always enjoyed English blends rolled as cigarettes, and fine cut dark stuff like Black Irish X is good.
IIRC, the cellaring thing was around when I was new to the pipe. I joined the forum in 2010, and it was a thing then. Maybe it wasn't as common, but it was there. I have liquidated much of my cellar to fund other hobbies, but I still have a whole lot left.
I think my first flake was Solani 633. Tried the PS flakes early on, and they're pretty good, but I found I liked others better. FVF and BBF, and other stoved stuff like 2035 (RIP). I got into KY stuff, too. ODF is a top blend for me.
When I first started drinking beer, I was into stouts and couldn't take the hoppy stuff. Then, one spring, a 12 pack of Sam Adam's Noble Pils did it. It had the hoppiness, but in moderation. I didn't like the first bottle--too much hop flavor and aroma. But the next day I was craving it.
Just...
C&D had a blend called Winchester that's mild and aromatic-like without the aroma. I think it'd be the perfect transition to natural tobaccos or for diluting the goop by blending.
I've been on a pipesmoking hiatus for a few years, and I come back and THIS is what I see?! I was just getting into McC VAs and some of their other blends before I took off. This makes me feel sad and old. I remember people talking about Dunhill when I first started and it was unavailable. Now...
I thought Capstan had been that expensive for a while. I like the current iteration of 3N (never had the original), but it's too expensive, so I'll stick to ODF, which I fortunately cellars a few pounds of before this hike.