A Year Later: Revisiting the Yohtron YC-488 Humidor

It’s been nearly a year since I acquired my new Yohtron YC-488 humidor, which makes this a good time for a follow-up report.

The humidor has performed well, and my cigars have been stored without issue. Some have been in the unit since day one, while others are more recent arrivals. A few have now transitioned from a “tuppador” to the NewAir unit and finally into the Yohtron, and all remain in excellent condition. I’ve also noticed that new arrivals seem to acclimate more quickly than under my previous storage setups. I suspect the larger cabinet is less affected by frequent door openings than smaller units, which likely contributes to both stability and quicker acclimation.

Although the humidor is still well below capacity, it now holds significantly more than it did a year ago — especially in terms of boxes. At first, boxes occupied the first two shelves, but those acquisitions recently expand onto a third shelf. Some cedar trays placed on a lower shelf allowed me to stack the singles to better make use of the space.

One minor annoyance is that loose cigars tend to slide front to back when the drawers are opened and closed. Yohtron also offers adjustable dividers for some models, though I haven’t explored obtaining them.

I’ll admit I initially spent far too much time monitoring minute humidity variations. I started with three Govee sensors placed at different levels, along with a digital hygrometer. The Govee units are highly sensitive and react quickly, measuring to 0.1%. Once I confirmed that temperature and humidity were consistent throughout the cabinet, I removed all but one. That remaining unit serves primarily as an alert system on my phone in case of any real issue. I still keep a digital display hygrometer inside as well.

Over the past year, I’ve adjusted the humidity setting a couple of times and have settled on 66% as my preferred level for both short- and long-term storage. One observation has changed since my initial review: the unit’s display reads about 1.5%–2% lower than the set point — the opposite of what I noted previously. Currently, the unit is set to 68%, with the display averaging 66%, reflecting the actual humidity in the cabinet. Both the calibrated hygrometer and the Govee sensor show similar readings, though they fluctuate within a roughly 3% range. The Govee app, however, consistently reports a 66% average (±0.1%) across hourly, daily, and weekly views. While the unit responds quickly to setting changes, it takes about a week to fully stabilize.

The only real maintenance hiccup came around the six-month mark, when I replaced the filter pad in the water tank. I noticed a small amount of black mold, and the manufacturer recommends replacement at that interval anyway. When I looked on Amazon, the original filters were unavailable. Yohtron support confirmed this and suggested a compatible option from another brand. I tried it, but after a couple of weeks I wasn’t satisfied with the humidity performance. I eventually found a third-party replacement that appears identical to the original and has performed well. I do wonder what Yohtron is currently including with new units.

As an aside, I’ve contacted Yohtron support several times and have consistently received responses within a day.

I had some initial concerns about noise, since the unit sits in our dining room. Even after a year, it remains remarkably quiet. The most noticeable sound is a low hum when the cooling cycle engages, though it’s quieter than the NewAir unit it replaced. There’s also an occasional click as it shifts modes, but it’s barely noticeable. The unit cycles between heating and cooling to maintain humidity, along with internal fans circulating air from the reservoir. In most cases, any sound blends into the background — I often can’t tell whether it’s the humidor, the refrigerator, or the coffee maker.

Water usage has been surprisingly minimal. Aside from topping off after the filter change, I’ve only added distilled water twice over the past year, and even then the tank had not dropped below roughly three-quarters full.

After nearly a year, I remain very pleased with the Yohtron YC-488. While I sometimes question the extravagance, when I get tempted by another box purchase or a particularly good deal, storage capacity is no longer a limiting factor. More importantly, I’m confident that my cigars are being kept in a stable, reliable environment for the long term.

Cheers!