I was not impressed with the initial smokes I had. They tasted like maduro cardboard

Like other brothers said, these need a month or two to settle out from shipping. I do believe they have a LOT of potential, and I think this may be a cigar worth keeping for several years to see what they taste like in a year or so.
I have almost two boxes (18 total) sitting aside for a while to see how they shape up in a few months.