Well for me I was smoking a lot of lower quality weed and mixing in the tobacco actually used to make it taste better (or so I thought). I never used a whole lot of tobacco in my joints like maybe 3/4 weed and 1/4 tobacco. When I roll joints now a days though, I use the same amount of weed that I used to use but they taste a lot "cleaner" now if that makes any sense. I don't notice coughing anymore or less than before when I mixed, but my lungs don't ache like they used to that's for sure. My paper's of choice have always been zig zag orange packs cause they burn the smoothest imo. Try taking smaller hits that might help with the coughing thing highlander.