I have NEVER had a Cupido that wasn't great right out of the box. One of my favorite all-time brands. My favorite is the Toro Negro (4.2 from SMOKE mag), my favorite maduro (besides the Padron Anniversario Maduro). They have two really good box-pressed cigars too, the Gran Robusto (90 from Cigar Insider) and the Corona Canela (4.3 from SMOKE mag). The pricetag, you get what you pay for with the Cupido. They range in price from approx. $5-8 a stick. Corona is the least expensive at about $5/stick.