Remington Lite Custom Finish 2,000-Cigar Humidor Cabinet

Most cabinets this size come in one or two finishes and you build the room around them. The Remington Lite Custom inverts that: the same 2,000-cigar electric humidor, made to order in a choice of ten finishes, so it can be specified to match millwork already in a study, a lounge or a retail fit-out. It is a considered purchase rather than an off-the-shelf one, and the lead time reflects that. What you gain is a cabinet that reads as part of the room.

Who it suits

This suits anyone whose cabinet has to sit alongside existing joinery — a designed lounge, a shop with a set palette, a home library with matched shelving. It is the wrong choice if you need the cabinet quickly, since custom finishes are built to order on a 9–12 week lead time. If the finish is not decisive, the stock black oak, dark cherry and espresso Remingtons are functionally identical without that wait.

Climate control

The climate system is the one carried across the Remington range. Adjustable temperature runs 41°F–71°F and adjustable humidity 56%–78% RH. The window most collectors target, roughly 65–70°F and 65–70% RH, sits well inside both, so the unit is not straining at the limit of its capability to hold your setpoint.

That matters more than it sounds. A passive humidor has no temperature authority at all — it follows the room, and a room that drifts warm takes the cigars with it. An actively cooled and heated cabinet treats temperature and humidity as two separate problems, which is what allows long-term ageing rather than short-term storage.

• Adjustable temperature: 41°F–71°F.
• Adjustable humidity: 56%–78% RH.
• Built-in cooling and heating, so the cabinet corrects in both directions rather than only shedding heat.
• Built-in humidification with an auxiliary fan. Circulation stops a tall cabinet reading one figure at the top shelf and another at the bottom.
• De-mist feature. Glass fogs when cool interior surfaces meet warmer, damper room air, most obviously after the door has been opened. De-mist clears it.
• Touchscreen digital control panel with saved settings, so your target is retained rather than re-entered after a power interruption.

Capacity in the real world

The 2,000-cigar figure is a laboratory-style count of loose single cigars packed in rows. Nobody stores that way, and you should read the number as an upper bound.

Boxed storage is the big variable. A box adds its own walls, lid clearance and dead space at the ends of each row, so a cabinet filled with boxes holds considerably fewer cigars than one filled with loose sticks. If your collection is predominantly boxed, assume a substantial reduction from the rating. Cabinet-selection sticks and bundles sit much closer to it.

Six sliding shelves plus a removable divided tray give you a practical way to organise that. Shelves usually end up specialised by format or readiness — boxes on one level, loose singles on another, the tray for cigars in current rotation — so reaching one cigar does not mean disturbing the whole cabinet.

Build and finish

Ten finishes are offered: Cherry, Canadian Maple, Sycamore Teak, Crimson Cherry, Khaki Gray, Rosewood, Castle Gray, White, Gray Oak and Sawtooth Gray. Each is made to order, which is why the 9–12 week lead time applies. Confirm the finish against your existing woodwork before committing, because a made-to-order cabinet is not a casual return.

Inside, the cabinet is cedar-lined. Spanish cedar buffers humidity without warping, imparts the aroma cigars pick up during long storage, and deters the beetles that ruin tobacco. It arrives dry, which is why the seasoning step below is not optional.

The door is tempered glass with a heavy-duty seal — the seal being the component that actually holds your climate, and the first thing to inspect if the cabinet starts running more than it should. White LED lighting covers all shelves; LED matters inside a humidor because it adds almost no heat load. Shelves run on slides. The specification supplied for this model does not list a lock or a UV rating for the glass, so confirm either with the manufacturer's documentation if it matters.

Specifications

Setting it up

What follows is general best practice for a cedar-lined electric cabinet. Treat the manufacturer's manual as authoritative and read it before the unit is powered.

• Season before loading. New cedar is dry and will strip moisture from the first cigars it meets. Run the cabinet empty with the humidification system filled until the interior holds a stable reading by itself — plan on several days of settling.
• Distilled water only. Distilled or reverse-osmosis water at seasoning and at every refill. Tap water deposits minerals that foul the humidification system and can seed mould. There is no version of this where tap water is acceptable.
• Placement. Interior wall, out of direct sun, clear of radiators, vents and anything that throws heat. Leave room for the cooling system to exhaust; a cabinet wedged into a tight recess recirculates its own warm air. At 72" tall, a unit standing out of plumb will not seat its door against the seal.
• Power. No voltage is listed in the specification supplied for this model. Confirm the requirement on the rating plate and in the manual before you finalise where the outlet goes.
• Load in stages. Let it reach and hold your setpoint first, then load in batches, so the humidification system is not rehydrating an entire collection at once.

Delivery

The cabinet ships palletised by LTL freight because of its size and weight. Freight delivery is normally kerbside — the carrier is not obliged to bring it inside, up steps, or into a lift. Have people and a plan ready for the day it lands.

Measure the route before it arrives. The cabinet is 25" wide, 24" deep and 72" tall, and the crate adds to all three. Check doorways, hall turns and stairwell headroom. Inspect the crate before signing, and record any damage on the carrier's paperwork at the point of delivery.

Common questions

Why does a custom finish take 9–12 weeks?

Because the cabinet is not built until the finish is specified. Stock colours are produced in batches and held; a custom finish is applied to a unit built for your order. The lead time comes from the manufacturer's specification, so plan the installation date around it.

Can I still see the cigars with a lighter finish?

Yes. The finish applies to the cabinetry, not the glass, and the white LED lighting runs across every shelf whichever of the ten you choose. Lighter finishes like White or Khaki Gray change how the piece reads in a room, not the visibility of the collection inside.

How is this different from the standard Remington Lite?

Only in finish and lead time. Capacity is 2,000 cigars on both, the temperature and humidity ranges are identical, and both carry six sliding shelves plus a divided tray. The stock Remington Lite is black oak and ships from existing stock; this one is built in the colour you specify.

Can shelves give me two different humidity levels?

No — shelves do not create separate climates. Air circulates freely inside the cabinet, so everything sits at one setpoint. If you genuinely need two, for example ageing stock held drier than ready-to-smoke stock, you need a dual-zone cabinet such as the Reagan.

Does it need a water line?

No. Humidification runs from an internal reservoir you fill by hand with distilled water. There is no plumbing and no drain, so the only service the cabinet needs from the room is a power outlet. It is covered by Prestige Import Group's manufacturer warranty; see the warranty tab for terms.