I've smoked several Epicure De Luxe's from different box codes & all were perfect to me. I like my draw to have a little resistance, but certainly nothing close to "plugged" though. It happens from time to time with a hand made product such as cigars as I'm sure you already know.
A draw poker can sometimes work wonders. As can gently "massaging" the stick in the hard parts. They're worth revisiting to me. I think they'll be special in a few years too.