What kind of Virginias are they? Really, most pipe blends of Virginias are taken from the lower half of the plant, because the top sections tend to have more nicotine and harsher burning qualities. I am not sure how they are divided by that company, but it could be that you are trying to smoke that top leaf in your pipe, which will taste more harsh that you may have experienced with pipe Virginias. The lower leaf has more flavor, less harsh, and less nicotine.
Also, Virginias usually go through a couple of sweats before they hit the market, which translates into two summers in storage. Then usually, they get a couple of years of aging and getting tumbled before they are blended. On my own crop, I don't much care for smoking freshly cured leaf either. So, I make twists or shred the leaf, and set them back. After a couple of years some fermentation will definitely benefit the leaf. There are even some commercial pipe tobaccos that don't excite me till after being jarred for a few years.