Not an answer but...
When you say pipe tobacco, do you mean the likes of Borkum Riff, Prince Albert, etc? The sweet, aromatic stuff?
The reason I ask is today I went to my local discount tobacco store and asked for a "big bag of 4 Aces tobacco", which is now 6 oz. The clerk reached up for a large bag (turned out to be a pound) that resembled my prior tax increase brand. It had PIPE TOBACCO in large letters on it. I told her I don't want pipe tobacco, RYO tobacco.
She told me that to circumvent the tax increase on RYO, the companies are now cutting the tobacco as pipe tobacco, but it is the same old stuff. At first I did not believe it, as a 1 pound bag of this "new" stuff was only $20. Sure enough, the same as before, just cut different. The clerk told me that they just started stocking it.
The pipe tobacco you use, is it real pipe tobacco or have you been getting "pipe tobacco cut" RYO? Just curious.
No one else I told this story to had heard of this new cut style, but were happy to find a cheaper alternative.