Soft smoking? Yes. Smooth? Not as smooth as York Full, even though York has more Latakia. Akin to Dunhill White Spot? Don't know since I've never had it!

This seems like a lighter version of York Full to me, with a bit of added spiciness. Although York does not have Carolina leaf, yet they are definitely in the same family. I very much like this blend. It’s a medium English with a significant Oriental component that will satisfy fans of spicy Oriental mixtures.

Perhaps some of the “more spicy than York” character comes from the Red Virginias while York uses Browns. Perhaps from the proportions of Virginias to Orientals. Whatever the case, it’s an excellent tobacco, and it will easily earn four stars, but in my lineup I prefer York Full and Balkan since there are a hundred good competitors for this blend, which I will call a medium spicy English that veers toward the Balkan side of the road due what seems like a large proportion of Oriental leaf.

One thing I am noticing during the Compton's Compendium is that, true to what we've read here in past SF entries, particular blenders have particular styles. All of these Compton's blends have a particular flavor profile, which I won't even attempt to describe but which is definitely "Compton's. Some love everything McC puts out, some love all of the Pease blends. Compton's has a consistency and level of quality that I believe would allow one to pick any Compton's blend out of a lineup.

And this is a good thing.