Review Notes: I am a cigar smoking neophyte. Thew was my third cigar experience. Sliced the cap with brand new double blade cutters, and it split to about an inch beyond the band from the cap. I would fault my technique, but even being new to smoking, I have cut two others, with not so much as a problem. I used identical technique. The stogie must have been very dry, but it was pliable, yet firm enough when I selected it. Smoked it about 1.5 hours later, after being in a sealed bag, inside the shade of a glove box, on a mild, sunny winter day. I can't imagine that it dried out *that* much, as my wife had an acid in the same bag, that presented fine. Both were in the cello that they were displayed in from the humidor at the shop. The appearance looked fine, and was firm, yet pliable on initial inspection. The wrapper seemed nicely finished, with a slightly satin sheen. The smoke itself was wholly unremarkable. No complexity of flavor, in comparison to Ghurka, or Java by Drew Estate smokes I've sampled. Perhaps I just got a bad one, but life is too short to and there are too many smoking options out there to repeat past bad experiences.