Norwalk Juicer Review

The Norwalk Juicer is one of the original juicers.  Still popular today, it does have some drawbacks, all of which are outweighed by the positives.

First introduced in 1934, this is the juicer that jump-started the modern juicing/raw foods movement. Although an updated model (the Norwalk 280) has recently come out, the overall design of the original Norwalk juicer has been retained because it produces such nutritious juices. Because of the age of its design, this juicer might look outdated to some users, but there’s very little question about the quality or quantity of juice it produces.

Despite its old-fashioned looks, hefty weight (almost 70 pounds) and price tag (the MSRP is $2,495 for the stainless steel finish; colored versions cost $100 less), many serious juicers believe the Norwalk is still the ultimate juice extractor. The juices it produces are best described as extraordinary.

On the plus side

Norwalk calls the new model 280 a “Food Factory” for processing a variety of foods. It’s easy to see why: the ½-hp motor is powerful and able to handle large quantities of almost any type of produce.

This juicer uses a two-step extraction process. Without getting too technical, the first step involves “trituration.” This is a cutting/grinding procedure which breaks down the fibers in fruits and vegetables. It unlocks as many of their nutrients as possible.

Once the trituration procedure is completed, a hydraulic press takes over and extracts the juice and nutrients within the mash (the consistency resembles that of applesauce) that’s produced during the first step. Because the press exerts extreme pressure on the mash, it completely extracts the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and natural sugars locked within the produce. The juices produced by a Norwalk juicer are smoother, more nutrient-rich and more flavorful than the juices produced by almost any other machine.

As it’s extracting the juice, this juicer mixes in very little air. This characteristic slows the degradation of the juice. As a result, the juice can be refrigerated for two or three days without a loss of flavor or nutrients. This means it’s possible to have fresh, nutritious juice on hand continuously without needing to juice every day. The juice can even be deep-frozen and kept in the freezer for as long as six months without noticeable deterioration.

The construction quality of a Norwalk juicer is impeccable. All parts and components are solid metal (no plating and no plastic like you’d see with lower quality, less expensive juicers). All areas which come into contact with produce or juice are stainless steel. The Norwalk juicer is sturdy and designed to be almost impervious to damage.

It’s quick and easy to disassemble for cleaning, and the entire juicer can be cleaned thoroughly in just a few minutes. All five of the Norwalk’s removable parts are solid stainless steel – that means you can rinse them off under the tap and then pop them into your dishwasher.

Drawbacks

Although this juicer produces delicious and nutritious juices, frozen desserts, nut butters and other foods, operating it requires more user involvement than most other juicers. First, the trituration step creates a produce mash, directing it into reusable filter bags. Once filled, the bags must then be placed into the hydraulic press to enable the extraction of the juice from the mash. This two-step process does have the advantage of letting the user start another batch while the press is still extracting juice from the first set of bags. Theoretically, you could produce gallons of juice in a single session, so the Norwalk’s two-step procedure does have some advantages. In fact, the company claims that 25 pounds of carrots can be juiced in 20 minutes and produce 7 to 8 quarts of juice.

However, the reusable filter bags must be washed after every use. Some people say that instead of being delicious, their juice tastes like the bags. Other users report that Norwalk juicers can be messy – the bags sometimes leak, and juice sometimes discharges onto the floor, counter and walls – that sort of thing.

The bottom line

The Norwalk juicer is extremely expensive, but many serious users wouldn’t own anything else. Others are switching to the smaller, quieter, less expensive cold press juicers that produce virtually identical quality.

The best (and one of the only) places to get this juicer is at the Norwalk website, directly from them, the manufacturer.

Juicer Reviews > Norwalk Juicer