I started smoking a pipe while in college in the mid-70s. My go to brand was Captain Black. I remember buying a tin of Balkan Sobranie. I loved to puff on their cigarettes but I wasn’t ready for their pipe tobacco. Years pass, pipe smoking comes and goes, and the pipe collection continues to grow. This time around, I have the internet as a resource. I began with Virginias, then VaPers, then VaPer blends.
I have a theory that tongue bite is caused by acidity of the tobacco and the absorption of nicotine is increased with increasing pH (less acidic). I find young, unprocessed Virginia tobacco to be bitey. Processing decreases the tendency to bite, hence, Perique and Cavendish can be added to Virginia to enhance the flavor and decrease the bite, and perhaps alter the amount of nicotine delivered. Anyway, that is the theory.