I smoke cigarettes often and cigars occasionally. Not so much a heavy smoker anymore. The pipe has always been something I've wanted to try, thinking as a way to remove a few more cigarettes out of my life. Cigarettes are far too convenient. Can see the pipe ritual being beneficial. More of an event than a crutch.

I use glass pipes for weed. They get all gummed up and clogged really fast. To clean those I use butane, it goes through a filter, then I evaporate the solvent, and I'm left with a substance similar to hash oil or resin containing leftover THC that was stuck in the tar and whatever else. Can do it with alcohol as well but the evaporation process takes more time.