I have finally got my favorite bent stem briar fairly well caked and no longer experience tongue bite from it. I smoke usually 2 regular bowls and one small bowl in a virgin briar from Peretti, each day. My wife forbids smoking in her presence so it's an outdoor or In-the-car activity for me.I smoke a pipe once or twice a week in nice weather (I only smoke outside) to monthly or not at all during winter in Alaska.
I would cautiously say that genetics probably has more to do with your body’s tolerance to tobacco and long life than the anti-smoking crowd would readily admit. My dad smoked a pipe a lot from his teens to his 50s and lived to 89. His dad smoked a pipe for over 80 years and died at 94.
I smoked cigars once or twice a week from the 1970s to the 1990s and then started smoking a pipe as well. Sometime around 2010 I quit cigars and only smoked pipes. I smoke mild aromatics for the most part and find the pipes leave little to no “morning tobacco breath;” the cigars always did. But it’s possible that if I’d never smoked a cigar, and started smoking a pipe, I would be more conscious of the taste in my mouth after the smoke.
Anyway, I find smoking a pipe while I’m walking the dog, or fishing, doing yard work, bird-watching or hiking enhances my enjoyment of those events. I’m pretty confident that with moderate use, pipe smoking will not be a major factor in your longevity, though you may find your life more enjoyable for it.
I once smoked 3 packs a day for about 30 years. Lucky to be alive today. I quit smoking altogether in 1990 but have recently begun the pipe again. It is not as addictive as cigarettes so I am happy.