pleidades, I would reflect a little on the filter aspect of Vauen. Nothing wrong with it if you specifically
want a filter. You might try both filtered and unfiltered Missouri Meerschaums to see the difference and
learn if you want to start with a filtered pipe. I would shop a lot of pipes, some in person if possible, to
get the idea of what is available. It seems to me it is easier to start with an unfiltered pipe, and maybe
relatively mild tobaccos, and go from there, but that's just my opinion.