Yeah, I won two five packs of them a few weeks ago and they too were a little flakey. I attributed it to the shipping and handeling of them once they were removed from the original box. Not too bad though, still perfectly smokable. I think they all may be like that, they're not the tightest packed cigar I've ever seen and seem like they can be a little delicate. Pretty good cigar, especially for the price! A little mild for my taste but not bad at all. Plus, it's a great conversation piece for people who aren't familiar with them.