When it comes to the best juicers, the same few brands crop up time and again. Kuvings, Hurom, and Breville all dominate the market. However, a more recent entry to the market is the Nama J2 Juicer.
The Nama J2 is an innovation that it claims to operate under its own steam. Unlike other juices where you have to slowly feed in ingredients by hand, the Nama lets you fill the pitcher and walk away, juicing everything in one go. However, the big problem with slow (or masticating) juicers is a weighty price tag, and the Nama is no exception.
We took the Nama J2 Juicer down to our test kitchen to see if it's worth the money, assessing how easy it is to use, the quality of its parts, and how simple it is to clean. Most importantly, we put it through a taste test on some classic juices and smoothies to see if it's worth the cost.
Written by
Written by
Alex David
Alex is Head of eCommerce at Homes & Gardens and spends his days trawling the internet for the latest product launches and deals, as well as testing homes products in our specialised test facility. Before H&G, he worked for several other consumer magazines reviewing homes goods and garden tools.
Nama J2 Juicer Specifications
- Type: Masticating juicer
- Materials: ULTEM, Tritan, ABS, PC, Stainless Steel
- Dimensions: 9.8 x 9 x 17.7in
- Weight: 12.1 lbs.
- Power: 200watts
- RPM: 50
Unboxing the Nama J2 Juicer
I loved the art on the box - the soft, pastel artwork of cut fruits adds a bit of sophistication to what is usually a fairly boring process. It’s a nice touch.
(Image credit: Future / Alex David)
The instructions are really handy - there’s an easy start guide, a recipe book, and a full instruction manual. That said, you don’t need them. It’s really easy to slot everything together and there’s marks on the jug and auger so you know Precisely where everything needs to go. There’s relatively little plastic packaging, but it’s wrapped in styrofoam wrap, which isn’t the most environmentally friendly. My first impression is that it’s a beautiful machine - it looks fantastic and futuristic and will suit contemporary kitchens. However, it’s very tall and needs a lot of clearance above it.
Testing a green juice in the Nama J2 Juicer
My first test was a classic green juice with cucumber, kale, spinach and apple. The Nama was really easy to use. I sliced a whole apple in sixths and ⅓ of a large cucumber into eights, placing them on top of the the instructions recommend leafy greens at the bottom and heavier fruit on top of the leafy greens as recommended by the instructions. All I had to do was turn the switch.
(Image credit: Future / Alex David)
It wasn’t particularly loud but it’s still not pleasant to listen to. We made about 440ml of green juice and it tasted exactly as expected. The texture was perfect - a little foam to slightly thicken the juice but not so much that it was frothy. The spinach and kale tasted great with a nice hit of apple at the end. I found it a perfect green juice. However, as I wrote up my tasting notes I spotted that the juicer was dripping a little a few minutes after the test. There was about 300g of waste pulp which was perhaps more than expected but there were no blockages.
Making orange juice in the Nama J2 Juicer
What else? I simply had to test a classic. There was no particular guide in the instructions for this, so I used three oranges. However, you have to peel your oranges, which is hardly a great effort but feels like a bit of a waste of time as you're doing it. I wasn't hugely impressed with the efficiency — three oranges only made about 15 fl.oz — but if you've juiced oranges before you'll know that it isn't a particularly efficient process.
(Image credit: Future / Alex David)
With all those grumbles noted, the resulting juice was delicious. There was very little foam, and just enough pulp that it feels like you’re drinking fresh juice but not so much that it’s actually pulpy. I really can't overstate this - it was the best juice I’ve had in years. If you want fresh orange juice in the morning, this thing will be hard to beat.
Making frozen smoothies in the Nama J2 Juicer
(Image credit: Future / Alex David)
We then tested a frozen smoothie, the perfect topping for an açai bowl. This wasn't any different to the juicer recipes; all I had to do was add mixed berries to the juicer and run the juicer function. The resulting sorbet came out of the back where the pulp usually comes, but it wasn’t pulpy. It made a really nice fruit sorbet that was perfect for adding to oats or yoghurts. However, it had a lot of seeds, which is good dietary fibre but not always pleasant to eat.
Cleaning the Nama J2 Juicer
Unfortunately, we found this fiddly to clean. None of it is dishwasher safe, so you'll need to wash it up by hand. Thankfully, there’s a brush included, but it still takes a while. Our resident cleaning expert Millie Hurst was also on site for this test and wanted to have a go at cleaning up the Nama. She found lots of ‘little nooks’ around the rim of the auger that catch bits of kale and spinach. I found the same when I cleaned up the orange juice and berries.
Should you buy the Nama J2 Juicer?
Yes, you should buy the Nama J2, but with a couple of caveats. It’s pretty expensive, and it won’t really work if you’ve got low cabinets as it’s very tall. Busy readers might not appreciate cleaning everything by hand. That said, if you've got the money to buy it, it's a good choice.
