Hey guys. Loving the pipe so far, so much in fact that my poor humidor is sitting by getting neglected.
I've made a few mistakes in the last few weeks and thought I could pass it along and maybe a newbie like myself can read about and avoid them.
Feel free to mention your own bone head mistakes and help the newbs learn from our errors.

1. At first I found myself heating up the pipe too much because I was puffing hard to try and keep it lit. With me being a cigar smoker, I know the importance of not having to relight. It tastes like crap with a cigar but not so with a pipe. I had to learn the hard way that it is perfectly fine, and even normal to have to relight a few times during a bowl. You may get one now and then that burns the whole way down, but that, in my experience is the exception not the rule.
Take your time and relight if you need to. Your tongue will thank you.

2. Forget the 3 step method of packing your pipe. It's a pain in the ass for a newbie. I got so frustrated with it I nearly said to hell with it and just stuck with cigars. Then I found other ways to do it.
I have found that there are 2 methods that work well for me. I am a newb so maybe they will work for you too.

One is the swirl method. Here is a link. This is probably the easiest and I always seem to get a good pack. I use this method the most often.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePTCsBb7xAQ

The other is the Frank method. It too is not difficult and gets a great pack every time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJgNNkblq4

Hope these tips help some newbs like myself out. I really like Kel's videos. He's a smart funny guy who seems to really know his stuff, or at least knows what works for him.

You experienced guys feel free to offer any advice and maybe some insight to lessons you learned the hard way.