Accessory Reviews
NewAir 840 Count Electric Cigar Humidor (NCH840BK00) Review
This week I take a look at NewAir’s newest cigar humidor offering the NCH840BK00. This 840 count humidor features both heating and cooling as well as its own humidification system to keep your cigars smoking on point. Big thanks to the team at NewAir who sent this over to me for my as-unbiased-as-I-can-be review! You can view more information about the product here and use code “TONYCASAS” for a 10% discount off your purchase!
True cigar aficionados know that maintaining optimal conditions is crucial for preserving the flavor and aromas of each special stick. The NewAir 840 Count Cigar Humidor makes it easier than ever to store your collection properly, thanks to cutting-edge climate control features that let you set temperature and humidity at the touch of a button. Peek-In™ Spanish cedar drawers and LED lights add style and function to a cigar cooler that’s roomy enough for even the most avid collector.
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Unboxing and Setup
The NCH840 came boxed in a massive carboard box. The humidor itself is completely surrounded by foam panels which were well over an inch thick. The bottom of the box comes off so all you have to do is cut the tape and locking strings to lift up the outer shell off the humidor and expose the foam-paneled machine. My machine arrived flawlessly with no dents, dings, scratches, or defects. Once you remove the foam you simply need to place the humidor where you want it, open the doors, remove the paperwork, keys and tools, and take off any tape used to affix movable pieces and you are good to go. They keys that come with the system are used to lock the humidor on the bottom which will keep all the riff-raff out of your stash.
One small touch that I noticed immediately that I really appreciated was the flat plug update. In my previous versions of NewAir Humidors they all had a standard plug which is a bit bulky and pushes the humidor away from the wall if the outlet is behind the humidor. In the case of the NCH840 the plug was updated to a flat one so no worries there. The shelves come pre-installed so after unpacking the only things you need to do is attach the handle and plug it in. The handle attaches with ease. Simply peel back the rubber seal from the inside of the door, pop in two screws, and you’re good to go. I do want to note something pretty important here. I did quite a bit of research on this humidor and there are quite a few reviews out there that talk about the holes for the screws being too small which causes the door to crack when installing the handle. NewAir openly talked about taking that feedback and updating the door so this no longer happens. In the unit I was sent, the holes are not only pre-drilled, but they are rather large which made installation a breeze with no cracking or any other issues at all. One other note, the door is reversible. Swapping a few screws allows you to move the hinge to the opposite side so that you easily change the direction of opening. From the time I started unpacking to the time I was ready to fill and season the humidor it was about 10 minutes total. Very easy and with a bit of strength (as the humidor is quite heavy at about 87 pounds) you are good to go.
Seasoning and Filling
Just like with any new humidor, the NewAir NCH840 needs to first be seasoned. Seasoning is easy. While there are different approaches, here is mine. First, I fill a small bowl with distilled water. Note, you always want to use distilled and not tap water since this water has any impurities removed which could damage the wood or even worse, your cigars. I then take a clean microfiber or terrycloth towel and tip it in the water. After that I run the wet towel over each and every inch, nook, and cranny in any exposed Spanish cedar wood to make sure that everything gets covered. You don’t have to soak the wood, but adding enough water that it’s visible to the eye usually does the trick. The drawers in the NewAir NCH840 actually completely remove which really helps this process and make it easy to access all areas of the wood shelving. After doing this I close the humidor and let it sit for 24 hours without opening. Note, at this you don’t need the humidor on, or the humidifier filled, however it will not harm anything if it is. After the 24 hour period I went ahead and filled the humidor’s humidification system’s reservoir with distilled water. So far I don’t have any real quips about the humidor, a big one lies in ease of filling. To fill, you slide out the bottom drawer, remove the water cap, and dump in water. This is easy enough, the issue is knowing when to stop. The reservoir itself is black, and covered so it’s very difficult to see when that starts to get full. I had to pour, then dip my finger in, and repeat until it was full. Not the most inconvenient issue, but also not the most precise. Luckily the humidor will actually display an error code once the water is tapped out so you don’t have to keep checking when it’s time to refill.
Adjusting the Humidor
This, its very easy, and very straightforward so I won’t spend a lot of time here. Just note, adjusting the NCH840 is cake. The current temperature and humidity is displayed on the top panel at all times. Touching the Mode button allows you to adjust the desired temperature and humidity with ease using the up and down buttons. There is a button for power, one to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius, and one to toggle the inner lighting on and off. And that’s it really. Elegant and simple. Another nice touch is that like with most newer appliances, the NewAir NCH840 will actually continuously beep to alert you when you left the door open. Just a note on a nice touch.
Quality of Temperature and Humidity Control
With a humidor this size, it’s pretty hard to keep it under control in terms of temperature and humidity however the NCH840 does a pretty good job of that, especially in the temperature department. I set my humidor to the 64 degrees and 68% humidity. Using a combination of calibrated Boveda butler and Xikar hygrometers I measured the humidor’s performance over 5 days. First, no matter where the sensor was placed in the humidor I received a solid temperature reading between 63 and 65 degrees. This is impressive especially considering my ambient temperatures varied from 62 to 75 degrees in the house during that time. The humidity was a bit more inconsistent, but still gets a pass in my book. First, the humidity from the top of the humidor to the bottom varied by about 4%. When the sensor was placed at the top of the humidor I would get on average 64% – 65% while the bottom drawer would get between 68% – 70%. To me, this is normal. Humid air is heavier so the damper air would always be at the bottom until the fans kick on and circulated and this is the case here. I’d see many times throughout the day when the numbers would come close to even before returning. I live in a super dry climate so anything that can keep my cigars in that range is a win for me. I do want to note two small things. First, I tested with an empty humidor. Once I loaded it I noticed the variation was only about 3%. Second, the humidor as a whole is pretty loud when it kicks on. I don’t mind that at all, and most humidors like this are. But it’s worth mentioning.
Storage
This is where this particular really shines. This thing can hold so many cigars. It’s huge. Not only is it wider than previous models, but also deeper and taller. That being said, the unit as a whole didn’t get much bigger. In the case of the NewAir NCH840 they really fine-tuned the density of the walls in order to gain extra space. The drawers are nicely crafted, and pretty good looking. I mean, the entire humidor as a whole is a huge step up in elegance compared to previous models. The rolling slide system used to mount the drawers is great and allows for quick and easy access to all your favorite smokes. I love that the drawers actually roll all the way out so you can even grab the ones you hide in the back pretty easily.
The drawers slide function has a good amount of friction which locks them in place so they aren’t sliding around as you are searching for that perfect smoke. From what I gather, you can actually add two to three extra drawers to this humidor to expand single cigar storage space if needed. The drawers aren’t just crammed in there either. There is plenty of space on all sides as well as slats in the bottom of each drawer to allow proper humidity to cycle through the humidor. I reached out to NewAir to see what the cost and ease of obtaining extra drawers would be, but haven’t heard back yet. I’ll update this if/when I do. I really like all the added lighting the NewAir NCH840 added. My humidor is in a darker room and this allows me to see everything contained in it at all times. With a push of the button the lights dim and turn off and on.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I really dig the NewAir NCH840. First, the built in humidification is beautiful. It works, and while it’s not as polished as I hope, it works well. You just need to make sure you consider the variation in humidity when storing your cigars. The temperature is solid. This was a bit of a sore spot in other NewAir machines I reviewed and the NCH840 has it dialed in. The storage space is incredible. I also want to touch on the options here. The bottom drawer is huge and perfect for storing boxed cigars and tins of pipe tobacco while the drawers are wide and deep allowing for a great amount of loose cigars to be stored on each. The price point, at about $1,900, while pretty steep is warranted with the quality that you receive with this humidor. All in all, I am happy. My cigars are happy. Keep in mind, You can view more information about the product here and use code “TONYCASAS” for a 10% discount off your purchase!
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