Asthetically pleasing to me, for straight pipes this normally means a bit longer, for a bent I could do a little shorter, I find saddle stems pleasing to look it while they add nothing to smoking it. I tend to stick to traditional shapes and the carver should be able to perform them well. The one who carved it should have a good idea on what to do with the wood; to me its a waste to blast a pipe when it has straight grain, where a pipe with a great ring grain should be blasted imho. The draw should be wide open. Some think the pipe cleaner passing test is a proof of craftsmanship and in a certain way it is, but I'm not to fuzzy about if I still can remove a gurgle with a pipecleaner.
For tobacco i'm not yet fuzzy, as i'm still exploring. I don't mind letting it dry or air out longer than I think it should. For englishes I like a more oriental forward blend, burley I like a more cocoa/coffee note than the earth/soil/dirt some have, for VA's I enjoyed the ones that had a nice earl gray tea note to it, VaPer I like them heavier on the perique.
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