Glad to hear that the cigar was enjoyable. :tu
Some cigars are naturally harder than others -- depends on the wrapper, filler, etc... Springy is usually about right. Maybe the one that's hard will just take longer to soften up, or maybe it will just stay that way. Sounds like the others are good, so no worries.
From the looks of the humi and the humidifier that came with it, I think you should have enough. More beads won't hurt, but I don't think you need them. Give it time to stabilize, it'll fluctuate a bit, especially if you don't have many sticks in it.
Just relax and smoke up, it sounds like it's working out pretty well. Give it another week to see how it works out. And if it's not at least 1/2 to 3/4 full, keeping the humidity level stable will be hard. (Another excuse to buy more stogies!) :ss
Not every cigar is the same, even if it's the same brand/type. It's possible that you just got a bad one, or that you had eaten/drank something that kept your taste buds from being able to taste as much, maybe you're starting a cold, or any number of things. I wouldn't sweat it.