I think that is a pretty good plan. I like that botanicare stuff. It even smells good!
Part of the harshness you will often find in weed is from a combination of too much Nitrogen and not a long enough cure. Basically, it's the chlorophyll (green pigment, more N leads to more chlorophyll) that is really harsh and allowing your leaves to go yellow the last couple weeks signals that it is breaking down. Then after harvest, a good cure for a few weeks will let it break down even further and yield smoother smoke.
So do what you were saying, test smoke as soon as it is dry, then cure it and see how much change there is in smoothness. It will be significant.