What type of juicer is the Champion Juicer?
Juicing has become an increasingly popular way for health-conscious individuals to get more fruits and vegetables into their diets. Freshly squeezed juices retain most of the nutrients found in whole fruits and vegetables, making juicing an excellent way to boost your intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
There are several different types of juicers on the market to choose from. Each has its own pros and cons and is better suited for juicing certain types of produce. When choosing a juicer, consider what you plan to juice most frequently.
Introduction
The Champion Juicer is a masticating style juicer that uses a single auger to crush and press produce to extract juice. Masticating juicers are characterized by their slow spinning augers that chew up fruits and vegetables to break down fiber and release juice.
This type of juicer operates at lower speeds than centrifugal juicers, typically around 80-100 RPM. The slower speeds protect nutrients from oxidation and allow the juicer to get high juice yields, especially from leafy greens.
Some of the key features and benefits of the Champion Juicer include:
- Heavy duty 1/3 horsepower General Electric motor
- Durable cast iron and stainless steel body
- 10 year limited warranty
- High juice yields from leafy greens and wheatgrass
- Minimal oxidation and foaming
- Ejects drier pulp
- Versatile for making other foods like nut butters, baby food, etc.
How Masticating Juicers Work
Masticating juicers like the Champion Juicer use a single screw-shaped auger to crush and press produce, squeezing out juice. The auger rotates at slow speeds of usually 80-100 RPM.
Here is a step-by-step explanation of how a masticating juicer extracts juice:
- Fruits or vegetables are fed through a chute into the main auger housing.
- The auger grinds and crushes the produce into smaller pieces.
- The pulp is pressed against a screen to squeeze out the juice.
- The drier pulp is ejected out one side while the juice flows out the other side.
- Some masticating juicers will have a second stage auger that further squeezes the pulp to extract more juice before ejecting.
This cold press method preserves nutrients better than centrifugal juicers that grind at very high speeds, introducing heat and oxygen that can degrade vitamins and enzymes.
Juicing Performance
The Champion Juicer is a versatile masticating juicer that can juice fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and wheatgrass. Here is how it performs with different produce:
Fruits and Vegetables
The Champion performs well juicing most common fruits and vegetables. Its dual-stage auger with a blank in the second stage is excellent at juicing and ejecting wet pulp from produce like apples, oranges, carrots, beets, etc. You’ll get high yields and very dry pulp.
Leafy Greens
Thanks to the slower masticating technology, the Champion excels at juicing leafy greens like kale, spinach, parsley, wheatgrass, etc. You can create very nutritious green juices packed with chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals.
Wheatgrass
The Champion Juicer is regarded as one of the best wheatgrass juicers. The single auger is efficient at crushing and squeezing every last drop of juice from wheatgrass. No need to pre-cut wheatgrass prior to juicing.
Mixed Produce
You can juice combinations of produce with the Champion. For mixed fruit and vegetable juices, alternate feeding harder and softer produce. Juice softer items first like berries, oranges, etc. Then follow with harder items like carrots, beets, etc. to help clear out the softer bits.
Nutrient Retention
Masticating juicers like the Champion do an excellent job of retaining nutrients in juices compared to high-speed centrifugal juicers.
The slower speeds, lack of exposure to air, and gentle pressing action help preserve delicate vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. Juices last longer with minimal foam and separation.
One study tested the Champion Juicer against two centrifugal juicers. The researchers found the Champion had the highest retention rates for vitamins C, E and carotenoids after 24 hours of storage. It extracted on average:
- 15% more vitamin C
- 69% more vitamin E
- 14% more carotenoids
Expect your juices from the Champion Juicer to remain nutritious and delicious for 24-72 hours when properly stored in air-tight containers in the refrigerator.
Versatility
In addition to juicing fruits and vegetables, the Champion Juicer is a highly versatile kitchen appliance. With the included blank and other attachments, you can use it to make:
- Nut butters
- Baby food
- Sorbets
- Pasta
- Ground coffee and spices
It comes with a handy attachment for making delicious homemade peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butters. There’s also a homogenizing blank for making pureed baby foods.
The Champion’s versatility makes it a great multi-purpose appliance that can serve many uses in your kitchen.
Ease of Use & Cleaning
The Champion Juicer has a simple and straightforward design that makes it easy to use and clean.
Juicing involves just 3 main steps:
- Chop up your fruits or vegetables into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Feed the produce down the chute using the included plunger.
- Collect your juice from one spout and ejected pulp from the other.
Always alternate between softer and harder produce. Cutproduce types like apples into thinner matchstick sizes for easier juicing.
Cleaning the Champion takes just a few minutes. Simply rinse off the parts under running water right after juicing. Occasionally soak or scrub with an included brush to fully clean.
Assembly and disassembly is quick and easy. All parts either fit together intuitively or are marked for easy reassembly.
Noise Level
The Champion Juicer has a powerful 1/3 horsepower motor but runs quietly thanks to the slower RPM masticating operation.
Noise levels are around 60-70 decibels. This is quieter than most centrifugal juicers that operate at 90+ decibels. While not silent, the Champion won’t disturb the whole household when running.
Cost
The Champion Juicer retails for $289 directly from the manufacturer. This puts it in the middle price range for masticating juicers.
While pricier than most centrifugal juicers, it’s a worthwhile investment for the superior juice quality, higher yields, and versatility. Plus the 10 year warranty provides great value for a long-lasting appliance.
Juicer Comparison Chart
Here is how the Champion Juicer compares to some other popular juicer models:
Juicer | Type | RPM | Feed Chute | Pulp Ejection | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Champion Juicer | Masticating | 1,725 | 1.75″ x 2″ | Automatic | $289 |
Omega NC800 | Masticating | 80 | 1.5″ x 2″ | Automatic | $330 |
Breville Juice Fountain Plus | Centrifugal | 14,000 | 3″ Feed Tube | Pulp Container | $150 |
Tribest Slowstar | Vertical Masticating | 47 | 2″ x 1.5″ | Automatic | $380 |
Conclusion
The Champion Juicer is a versatile masticating juicer that performs exceptionally well juicing all types of fruits, vegetables and leafy greens. It’s one of the best wheatgrass juicers on the market.
The Champion stands out for its rugged build quality, 10 year warranty, high juice yields, nutritional retention, and quiet operation. Plus its versatility for making nut butters, baby food, coffee and more make it a great value.
While a pricier investment than centrifugal models, the Champion is worth it for serious juicers interested in making nutritious, delicious juices that retain nutrients. It’s built to last for years of daily juicing thanks to the durable motor and components.
For those looking for a powerful masticating juicer capable of juicing any produce while preserving nutrients, the Champion Juicer is a top-tier choice.