It’s time to take a closer look at the cooler humidor, which has been on the cigar market for many, many years and has a huge number of fans. Yes, today we will do a Clevelander Cigar Cooler Humidor Review and look at the aspects that cigar aficionados love it for and, of course, point out the cons and pros of this unit.
Specification
- Holds up to 250 Cigars
- 3 Removable Sliding Trays
- Free-Standing with Adjustable Feet
- Stainless Steel Tempered Glass Door
- Digital Hygrometer Displays Humidity & Temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit
- Thermoelectric Cooling System
- Adjustable Thermostat (51°F – 64°F)
- Removable Humidification Tray
- Ultra-Quiet Operation
- Interior Light
- Voltage: 110 Volts
- Internal dimensions: 19 “H x 14 “W x 20 “L
- External dimensions: 23 “H x 18 “W x 37 “L
- Country of Origin: Taiwan
Appearance
The large black cabinet is made of high-quality plastic and the door is made of stainless steel with a tempered glass insert. Unlike the Needone the glass has no UV resistance so you have to keep the humidor away from sunlight.
The control is placed on the front panel and allows you to control the temperature between 51°F – 64°F (10.5 – 17.5°C) and has only three buttons: turn on / turn off the internal lighting and temperature control. That’s it, nothing else.
Thermoelectric system and why does it still popular?
As I remember the model appeared about 6 years ago and it hasn’t had any changes. New products came and quickly disappeared, but Clevelander was and still is on the market. So what is the reason? Why such a success? Because it is the most stable humidor in terms of temperature retention.
With a stable temperature, it is much easier to control the humidity inside the humidor and not worry about tobacco beetles that occur either at temperatures over 77°F or RH over 75%.
Clevelander was the first to debunk the myth of the 70/70 rule and that with a properly functioning thermoelectric system you can get better storage and aging cigars.
Trays
Three removable trays are easy to take out and easy and simple to handle before use. But what material are the trays made of? I’ve seen several reviews that trays are made of beech wood and.. \
WHAT? My brand new humidor will not have cedar wood in it? I love cigars and want them intact, it’s an outrage and..
Relax! I found out from reputable sources and the manufacturer that the trays are made of cedar wood, there is nothing wrong with them and no problems. But let’s touch on the beech wood and why this wood is used in humidors less frequently.
Due to its durability and exceptional randomness of bending, beech wood can be registered in the production of barrels. Beechwood is great for storing wines and making furniture, and it is strong and mo, and bendable.
But! Beechwood can have a faint but very distinctive smell. In the long-term, it might affect your cigars and that is why it is not suitable for the aging process. If you have a choice between cedar wood and beech wood, pay extra for the former: it is sure to be the best investment for your cigar collection.
Capacity
The manufacturer claims a capacity of 250 cigars, but as we know from this article the number of cigars the humidor can hold is much smaller. Calculate that Clevelander’s cigar mix collection can hold about 150 cigars. Probably a little more, but keep in mind that many cigar boxes won’t fit in here and you’ll have to store the cigars individually.
By the way: Don’t stuff a humidor too full otherwise the air circulation will be lost and there will be poor aeration and consequently an unstable RH.
Also, the internal dimensions are 19 “H x 14 “W x 20 “L, and the description is not so obvious, take this information into account.
About the humidity control
The humidor is equipped with a container for distilled water, but I recommend using Boveda Packs or electronic humidifiers like Cigar Oasis. Why the latter two options?
Because the risk of mold is reduced to zero at a stable temperature, and the Clevelander does a great job with that. A digital hygrometer is supplied to monitor temperature and humidity and here we have to exclaim: “How nice! No analog hygrometer, they did it right!“, but unfortunately, I recommend buying a new one from my list. This hygrometer lies a bit and won’t let you recalibrate yourself, so get a second one for backup.
Main drawbacks
So, what I didn’t like overall.
- Lack of sane information on what the trays are made of. It is desirable that the information was visible
- Digital hygrometer to which you have to buy an additional digital version anyway
- The door glass has no UV resistance, which is strange. Guys, it’s time to move forward, because the competition is already stepping on your heels!
What I liked:
- The stable thermoelectric operation gives a constant temperature. Just what I went out of my way to purchase a cigar cooler humidor for.
- Super quiet humidor, barely audible
- Thick trays of cedar wood. No questions asked
- Nice backlighting that can be adjusted with just one button
- The adequate price that over the years only adds 2-3%
Verdict
For the functionality that the Clevelander cigar cooler humidor provides, it is not a shame to pay $300+ and get a stable and decent product. Yes, it needs an update technically, after all, the glass and hygrometer should be improved in the new version of the Clevelander. Hopefully, soon we will see the long-awaited upgrade of a worthy product that has won the hearts of thousands of cigar aficionados.
Rating: 8/10
Seth’s Humidor Recommended
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