Juice bars – chances are you are thinking of a bright, well-lit place with a whole assortment of fruit juice made right in front of you just for the effect. Oh yes, the ridiculously long and silly names they give to these concoctions just to make an impression. That’s juice bars to you! Alternatively, we have the good old uncle, aunty and bhaiyya fruit juice stores on the sidewalks that use more sugar and additives than the fruit.

Bottom-line here is that we need to head to the nearest “juice bar” or “juice store” to get our daily dose of fruit juice. Either way, we seem to be losing more than we hope to gain.

While juicing is not a new concept, it has become a buzzword over the last few years. No wonder, we have a sea of juice bars set up in every nook and corner of the city; especially in the big uber-cool cities. We even see juice bars in gyms these days! It has become synonymous with everything hip and happening in fast-moving cities. Move aside Starbucks!

Is there an alternative to this? Can’t we just sit at our homes in our pyjamas and get freshly squeezed juice without the drama and the additives? In comes the cold press juicer – the new and ultra-cool way to have freshly squeezed juice.

What Is Cold Press Juicer & How Does It Work?

extracting juice from a cold press juicer

Also known as masticating juicers, a cold press juicer is a device that extracts juice from any fruits or vegetables. It uses a hydraulic press to crush the ingredients at a slow speed and extract the juice. The rotating screw moves at approximately 100 rotations per minute. Higher quality cold press juicers can manage even less RPM. Regular extraction blades found in centrifugal juicers, on the other hand, moves at 15,000-20,000 rotations per minute.

The fundamental idea of a cold press juicer is to extract juice from fruits and vegetables such that its nutrients remain intact. It extracts the entire juice and pushes out the pulp almost bone dry. This process does not involve high heat. Thus, it preserves the nutrients of the ingredients to a large extent. But, it is more labor-intensive and time-consuming than other juicers.

If you are still unable to grasp this concept, think of the principle involved in chewing. Fruits put inside a masticating juicer get crushed by a set of blades slowly and the juice gets separated from the pulp using the same technique used when we chew our food.

Related reading: Best Mixer Grinders In India

Cold Press Juicer Vs. Centrifugal Juicer

As mentioned earlier, the main differentiating factor of a cold press juicer is that it presses the fruit and extracts the juice at a much slower pace than a centrifugal juicer. This generates a very negligible amount of heat. So, it helps in retaining the nutrients like Vitamin B and C, which are heat sensitive. Also, the process preserves the taste of the juice.

Centrifugal juicers are used in most household in some form or the other since it’s affordable. It uses a sharp blade that runs at a very high speed to turn any fruit or vegetable into juice in a short period. Heat-sensitive vitamins and antioxidants are comparatively lesser in juice obtained from centrifugal juicers.

Other key differences between the two juicers are as follows:

Centrifugal Juicer	Cold Press Juicer
Takes less time	Takes longer
Easy to clean	Comparatively difficult to clean
Easy to assemble	Harder to assemble
Affordable	Expensive
Easy to maintain	Harder to maintain
Nutritional value is less	Nutrition remains intact
Not suitable for leafy vegetables, soft fruits and nuts	Can be used to juice almost anything conceivable.
Needs to be consumed immediately	Can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
The juice will have a layer of foam on top	Very little foam is generated.

Please note; this comparison in no way indicates one device is better than the other. Both juicers serve different purposes based on the users need.

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Pros and Cons of Cold Press Juicers

Everything in this world has its benefits and a few drawbacks. As long as the drawbacks are not a deal-breaker, we go along with it anyway. The same principle applies to the “not so humble” cold press juicers too. Here is a quick checklist for our readers to go through so they can decide if this juicer is the right one for them.

Pros	Cons
Thick, delicious and nutritious juice	Expensive. Price can start from INR 10,000 and can go up to INR 50,000 depending on the features
Yields more juice than other juicers	Takes longer to clean
Can be used to juice leafy vegetables and nuts too.	Assembling takes time to get used to.
Less noise while operating.	Vegetable and fruits need to be prepared before it is put in the juicer
A negligible amount of heat is generated which preserves the nutrients and taste.	Higher maintenance cost
Can be used to make a wide range of juices.	Not meant for everyone
Juice produced has a longer shelf life.	Takes considerably longer to extract the juice

Who Should Buy A Cold Press Juicer?

Let’s be clear with one thing, a cold press juicer is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is not meant for someone who is in a hurry to get things done. Using a cold press juicer is an art in itself and takes a lot of commitment and effort if you want to stick to it. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you make the purchase. Buy it only if you fall in any of these categories or else you are better off with a regular mixer grinder with a juicer jar which can be found easily in the market.

If you are serious about juicing.
If you wish to have freshly made juice for health benefits or just for kicks.
If you want to invest in a good juicer.
If you want to consume juice frequently and at your convenience.
If you want a juicer that makes little or no noise.
If you tend to have a lot of vegetables and fruits at home and don’t want them to get spoiled or lose their nutrients.

Now that we have narrowed it down to 6 types of users, see where you fit and then consider your options – or you could buy it anyway just because you feel like it.

Related reading: Hand Blender Vs Mixer Grinder

Types of Cold Press Juicers

Now that you are done making your case and ready to make the purchase, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to decide on the right type of cold press juicer for yourself. Each model has a specific feature based on the user’s preferences. Let’s get you acquainted with them all.

Vertical Cold Press Juicer

These juicers are tall and have a large feed tube than most juicers which makes it easy to feed while extracting the juice. It takes lesser processing time than other cold press juicers. Its yield is high irrespective of the ingredients. These juicers come with a self-cleaning mechanism and are easier to maintain as a result. It is suitable for all types of soft fruits, nuts and mashing baby food.

Horizontal Cold Press Juicer

As the name suggests, the device is horizontal with the motor to its sides. It is also ideal for leafy vegetables and hard fruits. They come with various attachments and have a multi-functional purpose It is usually bulky since it covers a larger space. Comparatively, it has a lower RPM than vertical cold press juicers.

Triturating Juicer

It works on the same principle as a masticating juicer except that it involves two gears to extract juice from the fruit and vegetables. Once the food item is fed into the machine, it is crushed properly first. Then, the crushed fruit is squeezed to release the juices. Hence, the juice is extracted in both steps which makes it very effective and produces very little waste as a result. This juicer is suitable for all types of fruits and vegetables.

What To Consider While Buying Cold Press Juicers

Pulp ejection

All juicers have a separate container to collect the pulp. Depending on the model, they are placed either externally or internally. The ones placed externally usually save more time and effort.

Heat

Make sure your juicer does not generate undue heat while extracting the juice. After all, that’s the whole point of a “cold press juicer.” Lower RPM usually guarantees lesser heat.

Convenience

Try to find the model which is easiest to assemble, disassemble and clean. Also, the larger the feeding tube easier it is to cut the vegetables and process them.

Affordability

Make sure you consider your options and consider spending your hard earned money accordingly. Just make sure you don’t compromise on the quality!

Noise

Cold press juicers do not make a lot of noise. Period. If it does, something is wrong with it.

Power consumption

If you need a juicer for the whole family, you need a bigger capacity juicer which obviously will consume more power. If it’s just you, you can opt for a lower-wattage juicer.

Rotating speed

Cold press juicers come with different speed settings. Ideally, the one you buy should have a low RPM of around 70 cycles.

Maintenance

Buy a cold press juicer that is easy to clean. Having a juicer that remains dirty or hard to clean can be frustrating.

Warranty

Make sure you have a warranty for your product. It may vary based on the product and brand. Just make sure it is in correlation with the money you spend on the juice. Also ensure the manufacturers have prompt and friendly aftersales service.

These details will be quite sufficient to point you in the right direction and get you started. Although having fruits and vegetables in their original form is considered the most nutritious, the next best alternative is juicing. Plus, you can mix and match a whole bunch of fruits and veggies which can be a bonus and cover for the nutrition you lose while turning it into juice. Happy juicing!!