The two years that were Cubas worst construction wise were 1999 and 2000. The real bad part about 1999 was that the crop of 1998 tobacco was one of the best in Cubas history, so many of the poorly constructed cigars were made with great tobacco. As with any year, there are great boxes and there are lousy boxes. As long as your tobacconist is willing to gaurantee your satisfaction, taking a chance on 99 and 2000 cigars isn't a big deal. You can find some incredible boxes from those years.