Have there ever actually been communist states? Sure, there have been states that called themselves communist, but that doesn't mean they are. What any 'communist' country is that I can think of is never representative of what communism usually is, it's usually some sort of dictatorship or oligarchy.
As far as I know there never has been one. It is always Authoritarianism a the Communist mask. I have heard of a few small collectives which ad hear to communism to a greater or lesser degree, but only internally as they still operate in a capitalist county.
Though I could see the argument for egalitarian tribal groups being communist, but that isn't really a country.
As someone who lives in a post Soviet country, that's not even close to communism, judging from the memories of my older relatives. And that's with them looking back with nostalgia
How about the whole spectrum of economic systems in between? Socialism, barter, free-money economy, basically anything that does not have a class of people with generational wealth who do nothing but own things and pocket profits.