Harsh Dunhill Tobacco?

Do you smoke many English blends? If your palate's not accustomed to latakia then it might immediately strike you as unpleasant. I understand that EMP is lighter on the lat than the other Dunhill Englishes.
Before you trade them off, open all the tins and leave the tobacco in mason jars for a month or two, then try again. I don't think I've ever smoked a tobacco that didn't benefit from some breathing-time.

It's not necessarily "lighter" tobaccos that bite less. Sometimes a bright tobacco can have the most bite, while a richer robust doesn't. But there is no hard fast rule. Even Middleton Cherry had its fans, so it must have been smoked by at least someone person who didn't get bit by it. My meaning here, is that maybe it's a smoking style/body chemistry/pipe selection/ tobacco type of equation. If a brighter tobacco is biting you, try it in a wider bowl. I find that with some bitey bright Virginias, I can tame the down by smoking them in my largest pipes.

Of course, I don't think anyone can solve the equation except you, but it's worth a shot. Try other pipes, maybe a :::gulp::: corncob. Switch up your technique, packing and your cadence. Then if nothing works, pop another tim.
But assuming that the mellow or lighter blends will bite less than a big flavor bomb, won't work. I find that the Dark Flakes actually have way less bite.

Cosmic's right - a straight bright VA would be considered 'mild' or 'light' yet I find the tartness of the brights to border on being harsh. Often, tobaccos that would be considered 'strong', like perique, can actually round out some of the rough edges of their accompanying Virginias or burleys (for example). The same goes for a blend like McClelland's British Woods which, despite having a fairly liberal dose of latakia, is smooth to the point of creaminess.
I find Dunhill My Mixture 965 to be harsher than Nightcap, despite the latter being an overall stronger blend. I'd hazard to guess that this is due to the presence of brown cavendish in 965, which might provoke it into burning hotter without due care. But that's just speculation.

sparrowhawk, I had to smile at your post, amused that Mellow is also the one Dunhill blend I've tried that struck me

as harsh, and I'm a guy who likes Nightcap, 965, and various full-strength burley blends as well. Mellow didn't have

any nic kick for me, just that edge and tongue bite every puff. It was a while ago, so I don't remember. I think I

finally mixed it with other tobacco and used it up, but it wasn't a charming blend.

Peterson Sherlock Holmes maybe? It's a mild VaBur with a slight topping, but nothing you could really call an aro.

Try a few of the over the counter drug store blends. There's a reason they're still around.
tinner

Some non-aros, non-flake blends I enjoy include 965, Nat Sherman 536 available in tins, Altadis Fox and Hound,

C&D Epiphany, and for burley forward, C&D Billy Budd, Big 'n Burley, Pegasus, Lanes Burley Without Bite, and Carter Hall.

You may not find any of these to your taste. Sometimes you have to try around to get the right balance of blend

that you enjoy, with the Lat, Per, Virginia, Burley, and maybe Cavendish, Oriental, Turkish, etc., tuned just right.

Some people are more wide, or narrow in their tastes than others. If you like burley, now is a great time for them,

with people doubling back on what used to be a fogey leaf and finding it can do all kinds of interesting things. But

some people really dislike burley -- can't taste it, or don't like it if they do. The one I'd try right off, an English with

Va/bur/Cav/Lat/Per, is Nat Sherman 536, which is really refined and mild but flavorful.

Onerous? One of the attractions for most of us is the ritual. But, we're all different. There's nothing wrong with sticking to your Trout Stream. The guy down the road from me smokes Prince Albert all day long every day. It works for him, and he has absolutely no interest in trying anything else. He's probably been smoking it for about 60+ years.
+1 mcitinner - Over the counters are good. Maybe try Carter Hall. It really gave me a nic fix and tobacco taste when I was quitting cigarettes. I still like it occasionally.
However, if you are interested in learning more about Virginias, burleys, and the rest, try reading some blogs, or just read through some reviews on here. But, really trying them is the best way to figure it out for yourself.

It's not rocket science, but there is a bit of trying, practice, and research that has to be done. I have no way to know what your taste buds are going to like. Heck, no one tobacco will everyone like. No one tobacco will everyone hate. I find red Virginias to be the most bite free tobaccos, but there are many that get scorched by it. Some scorched me in the beginning, and now my chemistry has adjusted to it, so that I find no bite. I guess that what I am saying is that taste is very personal and individual. There are no universals in taste, very subjective.
P&C offers a few sample packages. You might be interested in trying some of those. I think that there is a box of samples that members are passing back and forth. I don't know any of the details, but it might be a great way to find a few blends that you would enjoy. Check out the "Box Pass" thread.