Gradually, Chinese company Raching is gaining the trust of the American consumer and offers on the market the best automatic cigar cabinets with American components. Let’s make Raching MON3800 Cigar Cabinet Review and compare it with its predecessor C380 and if it is worth paying more than $3800 for it.
Specification
- Capacity: 370 Liters (13 c.f.)
- Cigar Storage: 1500+
- Temperature and Humidity Control
- Temperature Range: 60-71°F (16-22 degrees Celsius)
- Humidity Range: 60-75%
- Premium Spanish cedar wood trays
- Wood Liner (no plastic odor)
- PTC Heating & dehumidify the system
- Ammonia Removal System
- Embraco compressor made in the USA
- Dimensions: 23.6 “L x 24 “W x 71.7 “H
- Weight: 300Lb
Appearance
The first thing that surprised me was the packaging. The heavy wooden pallet is finished on all sides so nothing would tip over or become loose. Everything is beautiful and done thoroughly. When you remove the wood and cardboard, we see the humidor, which is packed in a thick film to protect it from dust.
And yes, that fantastic glossy surface combined with the golden beige color gives the picture pleasing to the eye: you realize that you bought a luxurious thing, which can be used in the interior, and the built-in backlight will emphasize the luxury of the humidor!
Now moving on to the functionality.
Functionality
This is a fully automatic cigar cabinet that allows you to set the temperature and humidity inside the humidor no matter where you live, whether you live in hot Los Angeles or cold Alaska you will get exactly the values you set in the program.
Thanks to the American-made compressor cooling is much more efficient (like a real refrigerator, actually) than in Peltier-cooled humidors, and the heating is done with the PTC Heating technology.
The humidor is divided into three zones, the topmost zone for new cigars, the middle zone for fermentation, and the bottom shelves for cigars ready for consumption. In total it creates a vicious circle for pre-smoking cigars.
About temperature and humidity
I’ll be honest with you, it is stable in temperature and the humidity varies between 2-3% depending on the shelf. Metered the humidity with the Cigar Oasis Caliber IV after preparing the humidor for use.
In the previous generation Raching model C380 the problem was unstable humidity: it could jump back and forth by 4-6%, which was already quite critical but was solved by adding Boveda Packs. The new generation of humidors does not have this drawback.
What pleases me the most is that you do not have to buy anything extra for this humidor. You are buying a self-contained, smart kit where you just have to add distilled water and restock your cigar collection. That’s it. As designed. Just for real cigar aficionados.
Prepare the Raching MON3800
For accurate measurements unpack the humidor, go over all wooden surfaces with a lightly damp sponge, fill the water tank and leave it unattended for 24 hours (humidor door closed). Only after this do I recommend turning on the humidor, setting the humidor to the right temperature and humidity, and leaving it for a few days until the parameters are satisfied.
Once you have the right values, you can add cigars. Because of the wooden surface inside the humidor, there is no humidity accumulated on the walls, constant air circulation, and no condensation (moreover there is no unpleasant smell of plastic!)
Aging process
MON3800 is perfect to support tobacco fermentation, thanks to the stability of the compressor and humidification system. But! The fermentation process inevitably introduces a smell of ammonia, which may confuse the untrained aficionado.
If the cigars emit a pungent and unpleasant smell of ammonia, it means that the tobacco leaves were stored in a room with limited air access and could not fully “breathe”. Ammonia occurs in the tobacco leaf only during the fermentation process, and the presence of this specific aroma in cigars indicates that the process is still ongoing.
Therefore, not to interrupt the fermentation process and get rid of the unpleasant odor in MON3800 is Ammonia Removal System. It removes up to 93.7% of unpleasant odors. Tested on my favorite cigars, and everything works clearly and flawlessly
About the flaws
I could call the high price a disadvantage, but let’s be honest: for the functionality, we are offered, it’s a decent price and when storing more than 1000 cigars the storage investment is proportional to the functionality.
- What I didn’t like was the lack of shelves: I like a more open space to view my collection. If the trays were at a 30 or 45-degree incline, the collection would play with new colors. You can suggest the manufacturer, customer service is responsive and will be able to advise you on anything (you can quickly call him back on WhatsApp, I’m not kidding).
- The manual is clumsily translated from Chinese to English, but everything is more or less understandable. But for this money, I would like the best service in all areas, including the translation of the instructions
- About the door. It protects against high temperatures, but it has no UV protection! How so? Even the cheaper models have this option. But I understand why it’s done: to better admire the cigar collection. For you, it may not be a significant disadvantage.
Verdict
An absolute cigar weapon for the cool cigar aficionado. The MON3800 brings admiration and an incredible burst of energy just by looking at this gorgeous product. This product is for those who don’t have enough tabletop humidors and are looking to expand their collection up and down. Do I recommend this cigar cabinet? Heck yes, take it and you won’t regret it!
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