There is nothing wrong with these dates... They are fresh, soft, big, they are packaged in a cute box, but best of all, they are organic, simply natural. The box is very cute but kind of heavy due to the weight of the dates; mine weights 4.4 pounds. I tend to use my dates often for smoothies instead of processed white sugar, eat them alone, but just one because these ones are huge and one would be enough to satisfy you and give you energy. I also accompany lentil soup with a date since the salty flavor of the soup and the sweetness of the dates complement each other; they taste delicious. These are perfect before workouts and post workouts and will also fill you up. I would definitely purchase these dates from California again and I also think they are wonderful as a gift.
Ratings
Freshness: 5 Indeed, they are fresh; the way they should be
Flavor: 5 Rich, delicious, and very sweet flavor
Airtight storage: 5 the packaging keeps the dates fresh so far
I keep my dates in its original packaging and monitor them from time time. If I feel I got to place them in the fridge so they won't go bad fast, I place them in the the fridge and they will last me a very long time. I sometimes also freeze them.
I hope this review helps you in deciding about the purchase of this product.