Thanks for the reply. I lease a number of acres every year to my neighbor, a tobacco farmer, to grow on. Each year I help him set, top, cut, stick, hang and strip. Even trying to smoke fully cured and auction-ready burley is harsh beyond words. Even a leftover stick or two that has been hanging for a year or more is just as rough.
Maybe its the blend of differnt varieties that tame it?
Needs fermenting and aging too.
http://www.leafonly.com/tobacco_leaf_harvesting_curing_and_fermenting.php
...Remember, aging will always improve tobacco, and any tobacco leaves can be kiln cured if it has been properly stored (humidity no lower than 50% to 65%). Smoking uncured tobacco is unpleasant and dangerous as the nicotine and ammonia contained can be fatally high, not to mention it will taste like you’re smoking leaves from your front yard...