Why The $400 Omega VSJ843QR Juicer Is Worth It

Juicing used to be so simple! Get orange, squeeze orange, drink orange juice. However, juices—in particular cold-pressed juices— have taken on a whole new meaning over the past five years, with Juice Press, Pressed Juicery, and other such juicy chains popping up everywhere from fancy gyms to Fashion Week.

What if you want to make your own juice at home, though? You just pop all the ingredients into your blender and call it a day, right? Actually, no. Highly nutritious cold-pressed juices require specific preparation, a process called mastication, which basically means the ingredients are very slowly chopped, crushed and pressed; basically the opposite of the friction of a simple ‘blender’ style centrifugal machine.

There is some debate in the juicing world about the damage caused to enzymes in the fruit during this high heat, high speed blending. There’s a widely held belief that it hurts the nutrition value of the food, but blades almost never reach a temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature it takes to affect the nutrients.

What does affect a juice’s nutrition is the level of oxidation. Pressing juice slowly in a masticating juicer significantly slows down the oxidation/deterioration process of the fruit and vegetables, which means the nutrients are preserved much longer than in a centrifugal juicer.

So why is the Omega in particular so good? It’s because of its very slow (43 RPM) but strong mastication ability. Food jams are a common complaint among dedicated juicers and the Omega is less likely to jam than others, although as with all juicers it helps to alternate leafy greens with juicier fruits and vegetables when you’re feeding into the juicer. Carrots, notorious for jamming feeders, may need a little jiggle—but that’s about it. Even wheatgrass isn’t a problem for this guy.

Something else to pay attention to with your juicer: the pulp, more specifically how dry it is. The dryer the pulp comes out the better, as this means all the juice as been extracted from your food. The Omega emits very dry pulp via its automatic pulp ejector. Okay, so it’s not the sexiest thing in the world, but to a juice fanatic, it’s music to the ears.

$399 at Omega Juicers

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