First time buying anything like this and first time trying to make kimchi. Had a good fresh smell when I opened the package. Used 1/4 cup for 1 head of savoy cabbage (I know but it's what I had on hand) and resulting kimchi is borderline too spicy for this anglo-saxon palette ( I usually say "mild spicey" in Korean restaraunts, which is just right for me). That said,color and flavor of my kimchi is quite like what I've had in restaraunts so I'm happy I picked this pepper.