These towels are a generous size, and they have the thickness and weight you expect from quality linen. Before using them, run them through a good wash cycle with warm or hot water to remove any residue from manufacturing. One wash was all it took. After that, they were ready to go: absorbent with a nice medium weight. The stitching on the seams is well done, a sign of attention to quality. They’re also lint-free, which makes them perfect for drying glasses with no streaks or lint. I’m hoping that with more washings they’ll develop the buttery softness and even greater absorbency that fine linen is known for. Based on how they’ve performed so far, I’m optimistic. *ETA*: After washing, I discovered that they become considerably wrinkled (photo attached). So just keep in mind that you will *have* to iron them after washing--they're practically 1/2 the size after washing (due to the wrinkles) but once you iron they are stretched back out again.