Review of the Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer

Juicing vegetables and fruits provides significant health benefits, but how most juicing machines work can reduce the benefits of juicing.  Most machines remove the pulp, where much of the nutritional value resides, and most juicers are very hard to clean, resulting in a lack of use.  This product is different, and I have personally benefited from a health standpoint.

Background

In years past, I juiced fruits and vegetables for their nutritional value to help cope with a significant medical problem I have dealt with for many years. You can read more about this in The Backstory below. However, the juicer that I used was difficult to clean. Almost all juicers are difficult to clean.  

Breville Centrifugal Juice Fountain Elite

There were many parts that had to be cleaned, and several required a brush to remove the pulp that stuck to the fine metal filter. While the juicer I used did a good job extracting juice, it became a daily chore to prepare the ingredients (washing and cutting up), process the juice and clean the numerous parts of the machine, including that dreaded fine mesh filter. It took well over 30 minutes to prepare, make the juice and clean up, and it is best to use fresh juice and not bulk process juice and store it in the refrigerator as it will quickly oxidize. That juicer ultimately became a closet queen, an expensive appliance that just sits in the appliance cabinet.

The Breville filter

In the past year, I noticed that my energy and feeling of well-being were running on low as well as general aches and pains that I had not experienced in the past. I was considering bringing out the juicer for the nutrient rush it can provide. There are over-the-counter fruit and vegetable supplements that you can buy, but they can’t come close to the benefit derived from fresh vegetables and fruits. I stress vegetables since that is my focus, as vegetables provide many health benefits.  That’s not to say that fruits aren’t beneficial but care needs to be taken not to add too much fruit juice (apple, pear) as it is high in natural sugars, but berries (like blueberries and blackberries) are rich in antioxidants and very beneficial.

I was ready to start juicing again when, coincidently, we were offered a juicer that was “easy to clean” and required less produce prep time as it took whole or larger pieces of fruit and vegetables, and it produced a juice with more pulp.  By far, prep and cleaning are why most people give up juicing. I was all in to test this new machine because it addressed some very basic juicing problems.

A salad in a glass

We were offered Hurom’s H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer. Hurom, is a South Korean company that has been in business for 50 years, producing kitchen appliances that are distributed worldwide. In addition to being easy to clean, the juicer utilizes slow processing and claims to preserve more pulp by eliminating a fine metal screen that filters out most of the pulp in other juicers. The pulp is typically discharged waste in most juicers, but the pulp is filled with fiber and slow-processed, preserving more nutrients essential for good health.

Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer

We accepted the offer, and I decided to compare the two juicers. The new introduction is the Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer. The alternate is the Breville Centrifugal Juice Fountain Elite.

Let’s start with understanding the different types of juicers.

The two juicers side by side

Centrifugal juicers push the fruits and vegetables against a high-speed cutter (think 10,000 rpm) with burrs to rip apart the produce, and then the centrifugal force pushes the juice through a fine metal screen to produce a low pulp juice. The benefits are it works very quickly to get the job done and produces a smooth juice, but that tearing action produces heat, and heat destroys some of the nutritional value, and since it screens out most of the pulp, much of the nutrition is lost. Also, centrifugal juicers are not recommended for green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, lettuces, etc.) because of low extraction, and the waste pulp is best thrown away or used in a mulch pile. Centrifugal juicers tend to be a lower-cost alternative. The Breville Juice Fountain Elite is a centrifugal juicer.

Masticating juicers grind the produce to create a slurry that is typically passed through a fine screen mesh (note that the Hurom H70 juicer is masticating but does not use a fine mesh filter as it has a unique approach, which also makes it easy to clean). Masticating juicers work best on fibrous produce and green leafy vegetables. They can also produce other foods other than sorbet, though I have never tried this.

Cold Press is known as the best in terms of nutrition and producing easy-to-digest juices. Think of it as an auger that crushes the juice out of the fruits and vegetables as it slowly turns and presses the produce into an ever-smaller opening. This squeezing technique minimizes heat and oxidation. It produces a low-pulp juice that is higher in nutrients compared to other filtered juices. Also, pulp byproducts can be used in other foods. Think of a ribbon of dry pulp rather than wet shredded pieces typical of centrifugal juicers. These juicers are more expensive and take a little longer to complete their task as they move more slowly to reduce heat and allow the produce to be squeezed.

Hurom Easy Clean Slow Juicer vs. Breville Juice Fountain Elite Centrifugal juicer

The Breville Juice Fountain Elite

We’ve owned this Breville juicer for many years. It is a top-of-the-line Breville centrifugal juicer and is still a very popular model available today.  As previously mentioned, centrifugal juicers work fast. They tear through the produce and provide a smooth juice because of the fine mesh screen.  Even when I allowed the juice to remain in the glass for an extended period after extracting, little pulp settled to the bottom. When I juiced leafy vegetables, the Breville produced considerable waste and did not produce as much juice from the leafy vegetables, and the fibrous discharge was wet, meaning it did not extract all the juice.

Cleaning the Breville juicer

What I like about the Breville Juice Fountain Elite:

• It is about half the price of cold press juicers but still an investment.
• It’s fast. It tears through the produce.
• It fits under the upper kitchen cabinets.
• The feed opening on the hopper is large, and the food pusher is large, allowing larger pieces of produce to be added while running.

What I don’t like or could be better:

• Cleanup is far more time consuming and requires a brush to carefully clean the mesh screen.
• The high speed produces heat that reduces the nutritional value of the juice.
• Less fiber in the juice. I want fiber in my juice for gut health and nutrition.
• More air gets into the juice, creating more foam.
• Doesn’t handle leafy vegetables as well, and I use a lot of leafy vegetables for their antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties.
• It takes up a lot of counter space when the catch baskets are attached.
• The pulp waste is wet and messy. I suggest using a disposable bag in the discharge bucket, so you don’t have to clean it.
• The catch basins for pulp and juice do not fit together, making storage more difficult. Nesting would eliminate half the space of their storage.

The Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer

This cold press juicer takes a little longer, compared to the Breville centrifugal juicer, to produce that same glass of juice. It typically took 2 -3 minutes to squeeze the produce. What is most noticeable is the fine pulp. When I left the juice in the glass, the pulp separated to the bottom, and it was clear that some of the nutritional value of the pulp was in that glass. Along with more flavor. The green leafy vegetables rendered more juice than the centrifugal juicer, and most importantly, there was a clear difference in the taste of the juice.

When I juiced carrots, spinach, celery, romaine and cucumber, it was like a salad in the glass. It was delicious. The pulp that is discharged from the press comes out like a ribbon and can easily be used in stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef). Most important, the cleaning process was much easier. There is no screen mesh, and if you don’t juice anything with fat in it, all that is needed is to spray the components in the kitchen sink and make sure the two openings for juice and pulp are clear. It’s very fast.

The Hurom processing juice

What I like about the Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer:

• It retains more pulp in the juice, which is important for flavor and nutrition.
• It works well on green leafy vegetables but is powerful enough to handle all fibrous produce and even nuts. Extracts more juice than the centrifugal juicer. With high food prices, this is a real benefit.
• Handles larger pieces of fruit and vegetables. Not as much cutting up is required as many other juicers.
• The fibrous residue can be used for other purposes, such as stock.
• It is very quiet but has a very powerful motor.
• The Hurom can produce more than just juice. Muffins, soup, ice cream, sorbet, and smoothie recipes are included in the recipe book. I made blueberry sorbet. It was easy to make and delicious. I have not tried other non-juice options.
• Fast clean-up. To me, this is the difference between a product that is a fad and a product with a useful life.
• Quiet operation.

What I didn’t like or would like different about the Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer:

• The juicer with food feeder/pusher stands 18 3/16 inches. Typically, most American upper kitchen cabinets are 18 inches (there is no regulated requirement except over the stove) above the counter, meaning the juicer won’t slide under the cabinet without removing the food pusher. Modern homes often have under-cabinet lights and a decorative trim to hide the lights resulting in upper cabinets less than 17 inches, as mine are. Even without the food pusher, the juicer doesn’t fit under my cabinet, so I must store the juicer in two parts (motor separate from auger and hopper) or find a “special place” where the cabinet will not get in the way.
• I would like a cover for the juice catch cup to keep any foam that may form while juicing from getting into the glass. Juicing greens creates foam from oxygen in the squeezing process.
• The food pusher opening is relatively small, so if you’re adding more produce after filling the hopper, it will have to be cut up to fit.
• Cold press juicers are more expensive than other juicers.
• The Hurom comes with a Recipe Book. I’m sure some will be interested in trying out these recipes, like almond or cashew milk, but I was focused on juices. There are only a few recipes for juices, so I recommend “The Juicing Bible” by Pat Crocker or “Cold Press Juice Bible” by Lisa Sussman as resources for recipes that are directed at specific needs, like anti-inflammation, weight loss, detox/cleanse, digestion or heart health.
• The two catch basins (pulp waste and juice) are large and do not fit together making it a more difficult storage problem. If they nested together, it would be more efficient.

In Summary

I mentioned that I was feeling tired and had some aches and pains that were troubling me and that’s the reason I started juicing again. Well, there has been a very noticeable improvement. I have no doubt that juicing is an integral part of feeling better. The nutrients and added pulp make a difference.  If your goal is to produce the best-tasting juice with a focus on health benefits, then cold press juicing is the way to go. The Hurom juicer has won a coveted spot in our kitchen.

Health benefits of juicing

The Backstory

It was twenty years ago that I was diagnosed with Colorectal cancer. What was thought to be Stage 3 cancer later turned out to be Stage 4 as it had metastasized to the lung. I’m a very lucky person to have survived Stage 4 cancer, but with it came a lifelong journey that I, nor my doctors had anticipated. Between the radiation, surgeries and years of chemotherapy, the body went through some radical changes that require constant attention. The biggest is nutrition and awareness of what I eat.

Food became a form of medicine. Like many people with a cancer diagnosis, I researched many aspects of the disease, including how to eat healthier to avoid a future recurrence and what foods would help deal with the ongoing challenges resulting from colorectal cancer. I learned the value of eating raw fruits and vegetables in that research. I learned how important it was to get sufficient fiber in the diet. I learned about the absorption of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. I had to consider what my body could handle as well as what the body needed to “feel good.” Like many colon cancer patients, I turned to juicing to improve my nutrient intake.

Whether you are concerned about vitamins or nutrients, there is one thing most of us ignore: fiber. I was shocked to learn the recommended fiber levels for men and women. Men should consume 38 grams of fiber each day, and women 25 grams. When I tracked my daily intake of fiber, I was nowhere close to 38 grams, and what I learned is my 15 grams was not unusual in the American diet.

A healthy gut microbiome introduces foods with high fiber and phenols derived from colorful fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to be a colon cancer patient to experience the day-to-day benefits that the right juice can create. And, if you’re going to start juicing, invest in a machine that won’t end up in the kitchen appliance closet.

Conclusion

There are clearly other slow process/cold process juicers on the market, but what makes the Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer different is it does not have a filter, making cleanup much easier. The Hurom produces a low pulp juice, where pulp provides better nutrition and gut health. Those two differences are why this kitchen gadget will have a long useful life versus being sent to appliance cabinet hell like so many other kitchen appliances.

SPECIAL ONLINE DEAL

The Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer is currently on sale on the company’s website for $479 (regular price is $599) for a savings of $120. If you sign up for emails, there’s an additional 10% off the price.

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Disclosure – We partnered with Hurom to review this product. While I received a complimentary item or service, the views expressed here are our own.