Redford Espresso 1,250-Cigar Climate Controlled Humidor | Pre-Order

The Redford Espresso is the Redford cabinet in a darker, browner finish — the same 1,250-cigar climate-controlled cabinet, the same embossed wood side panels and crown moulding, dressed to suit rooms where dark cherry would read too red. Behind the tempered glass door it heats, cools and humidifies under touchscreen control. It suits a home collector who wants the cabinet to look deliberate in a study or den, a lounge displaying stock on the floor, and a tobacconist needing a display piece that preserves properly.

Who it suits

Sensible from roughly 400 cigars up to its rated 1,250. Below a couple of hundred sticks a large desktop humidor does the same job in far less space. Above 1,250 you should size up rather than run this cabinet packed, since a full cabinet is awkward to load and slower to recover humidity after each opening. Pick this over the Redford Lite only for the finish and the cabinetry — capacity, climate ranges and shelving are identical between them.

Climate control

Temperature is adjustable from 41°F to 71°F and humidity from 56% to 78% RH. Those figures describe how far the controls travel, not where to set them. The common target is around 65 to 70°F and 65 to 70% RH, which falls mid-range here and leaves headroom in both directions: cooler and slightly drier if you are aging cigars for years, warmer and wetter if the collection is a smoking rotation rather than a cellar.

The reason this matters more than a passive humidor is temperature. A passive humidor has no way to influence it and simply follows the room, which becomes a genuine problem above the high seventies, where tobacco beetle can hatch in stored cigars. This cabinet cools when the room is warm and heats when it is cold, holding the setting in both directions. The specification states a built-in cooling and heating system but does not name the technology, so we make no claim about compressor or thermoelectric.

• Temperature: adjustable, 41°F to 71°F
• Humidity: adjustable, 56% to 78% RH
• Heating and cooling: built in, correcting the room rather than following it
• Control: touchscreen digital panel
• Humidification: built-in system with an auxiliary fan; the fan circulates humidified air so the top shelf sees the same conditions as the bottom
• De-mist: cool glass against warm humid room air fogs, particularly in summer; the de-mist function clears the pane so the cabinet keeps displaying
• Door: tempered glass with a heavy-duty seal, the component that lets everything else hold steady

Capacity in the real world

Read 1,250 as a ceiling measured with loose single cigars of even size, packed carefully across the four sliding shelves and the removable tray. Almost nobody stores that way.

Once boxes enter the cabinet the number drops hard. Box walls, lids and cedar sheets all take volume, and half-filled layers take more, so a box-stored cabinet tends to hold nearer half the loose rating. Big ring gauge cigars and long cabinet-selection sticks trim it further. In practice the four sliding shelves matter more than the last few hundred cigars of theoretical capacity — sliding a shelf out means reaching the back without dismantling the front. The divider tray suits loose singles and pulls out when you need height for taller boxes. Treat this as planning guidance rather than a guaranteed count.

Build and finish

The espresso finish is the point of difference. It is a deep brown, less red than dark cherry, which tends to sit better against walnut furniture, black hardware and darker interiors. Underneath it the cabinet is unchanged: embossed wood side panels and crown moulding accents give it the proportions of furniture rather than the flat look of an appliance. Dimensions are 26 inches wide, 26 inches deep and 52.75 inches tall.

The door is tempered glass on a heavy-duty seal. The seal decides whether the climate system maintains a setting or spends its life fighting a leak, so check on delivery that it closes evenly along its whole length. White LED lighting illuminates every shelf, and LED is the correct choice inside a humidor precisely because it runs cool — a lit shelf should not be a warm shelf.

Inside there are four sliding shelves and one removable tray with dividers, in a cedar-lined interior. Cedar is used because it holds moisture without warping, buffers the interior each time the door opens, contributes to how cigars develop over years, and deters tobacco beetle. The specification says cedar lined without naming the species, so we describe it as cedar rather than claiming Spanish cedar. No lock is listed for this model — confirm with the manufacturer if locking matters to you.

Specifications

Voltage, weight, lock and cooling technology are not given in the specification supplied to us; take those from the manufacturer's documentation. The cabinet is covered by Prestige Import Group's manufacturer warranty — see the warranty tab for terms.

Setting it up

General best practice for a cedar-lined climate-controlled cabinet. The manufacturer's manual is the final word.

• Season it first. New cedar is dry and will draw moisture out of the air, and out of your cigars, until it reaches equilibrium. Run the cabinet empty with the reservoir filled and give the interior several days to stabilise before loading. Skipping this step is the most common reason a new cabinet appears not to hold humidity.
• Distilled water only. Fill the reservoir with distilled or reverse-osmosis water, never tap water. Minerals in tap water scale the humidification system and leave deposits where mould can grow.
• Placement. An interior wall, out of direct sunlight, away from radiators, heat vents and warm-running equipment. Leave clearance so the cooling system can exhaust heat; a cabinet wedged into a tight recess has nowhere to put it.
• Level footing. A cabinet out of level holds its door out of square, and a glass door that seals unevenly leaks conditioned air continuously. Level it before it is full and heavy.
• Power. No voltage is stated in the specification we hold, so read the rating plate on the unit before planning the outlet. Give it a dedicated outlet where possible rather than an extension lead.
• Load gradually. Wait for stable readings, then load over several days instead of all at once, letting the humidity recover between batches.

Delivery

This cabinet ships crated by freight as an LTL shipment rather than by parcel carrier. Freight of this size is normally delivered kerbside, so the carrier brings it to the back of the truck and the move indoors is yours to organise. Line up help for the day.

Measure the route beforehand: doorways and turns against the 26 inch width and 26 inch depth, and headroom against the 52.75 inch height. The 26 inch depth is the figure most likely to cause trouble in a narrow hallway or a tight stair turn. Inspect the crate for damage before signing the delivery receipt and record any damage on the paperwork at the time.

Common questions

Is this the same cabinet as the Redford in dark cherry?

Yes, with a different finish. Dimensions, 1,250-cigar capacity, temperature and humidity ranges, shelving, lighting, controls, de-mist and cabinetry details all match. The choice is espresso against dark cherry, and nothing more.

How does it compare with the Redford Lite?

The Lite holds the same 1,250 cigars with the same 41°F to 71°F and 56% to 78% ranges and the same four shelves plus tray. It comes in black oak, without the embossed side panels and crown moulding, in a slightly smaller 25 by 24 by 52 inch cabinet. The step up here is cabinetry and finish, not storage or climate performance.

Can I store boxes in it?

Yes. Sliding shelves make boxed storage practical, and the divider tray lifts out when you need height for taller boxes. Just plan on well under the 1,250 loose-cigar rating once boxes are in — often around half.

Is the glass UV-protective?

The specification lists a tempered glass door and says nothing about UV filtering, so we will not claim it. Regardless, keep the cabinet out of direct sunlight; sun through glass is a heat load as much as a light problem, and no coating solves that.

How often will I be refilling the reservoir?

No interval is specified, and it varies too much for a single answer — your humidity setting, the dryness of the room and how often the door opens all change it. Check weekly at first and let that settle into a routine that fits your conditions.

Does it need plumbing or a drain?

No. The humidification system runs from an internal reservoir you fill by hand with distilled water. There is no water supply connection and no drain in the specification.