I'll tell you what little I do know. First, many things labeled "pipe tobacco" aren't really for pipes. It's a way to pay lower taxes, cigarette tobacco is taxed higher than pipe tobacco so they say it's pipe tobacco when it's really not. You have to check what you're buying is really for pipes.

Not that it's a special type of tobacco but pipe tobacco tends to be cut differently, wetter, and more heavily cased (flavoring basically).

And if I do dive in, I'll be getting a Gandalf pipe. For pot and/or nice smelling tobacco

Those look awesome. They seem hard to clean though, and fragile. I wouldn't mind a dedicated wooden tobacco pipe, a nice one, I've had cheapies, but for weed I much prefer glass.

I'd highly recommend not smoking though. It's harder to quit smoking than to quit shooting up hard drugs.