Nama J2 Full Review

The Nama J2 Juicer is being called revolutionary: a game-changer in the juicing world. It’s been so well received by both the juicing public and expert juicers that when it was first released on Sept. 15th, 2021, it sold out in an astounding single week! I’ve created this Nama J2 Full Review for you to see how it lives up to its lofty reputation.

This in-depth review aims to determine if the J2 truly measures up to its incredible reputation. I’ll take it apart, literally and figuratively, to find out what it’s really made of. I look at both the Nama brand and the J2’s features, then thoroughly list its pros and cons so you can decide for yourself if the Nama J2 is the right juicer for you.

Are you ready? Awesome, let’s dive in!

1. Nama, The Brand

The Nama Philosophy

Nama was founded out of a desire to “nurture wellness rituals through connecting with food, nature, and our communities.” Dan Sheehan and Joe Cross developed the brand with the idea that wellness rituals are a very important step in the journey of maintaining a healthy body, a calm mind, balanced emotions, and caring for the environment. 

They see juicers and juicing as playing a vital role in your daily wellness ritual by creating fresh, nutritious, cold-pressed juice. (Honestly, I couldn’t agree with them more.) 

The Technical Commitment

With its original juicer, the Vitality 5800, Nama put its best foot forward. That model performs quite well; employing Nama’s patented Pure Press Technology ™ which combines elements of torque, speed, and filtering in a manner that provides significantly more juice while retaining the high nutrient value expected from a cold press juicer.

As good of a juicer as it is, Nama wasn’t satisfied with their current level of excellence. Gathering feedback on the drawbacks and minor irritations cited by their customers, they threw themselves into the challenge of completely transforming the juicing experience. 

From this was born the Nama J2. Read on to discover what in the world they have done.

2. A New Way Of Juicing

Nama has taken any negative feedback they received from users of their original juicer, the Vitality 5800, and made specific design changes to the J2 in order to eliminate those issues.

The main complaints that the original Nama Vitality 5800 users reported were:

• Small Feed Chute – This requires extra chopping to make the produce small enough to fit in the chute, significantly increasing prep time.
• Pulp Outlet Chute Clogging – Even with that extra chopping, the chute (as with other vertical juicers) eventually gets clogged. Requiring users to take the juicer apart, clean, and reassemble before resuming juicing. 
• Time To Prep & Clean-Up – The two above issues combine to add significant extra time to juice. This is a common issue with many juicer models across the spectrum.

So, what improvements did Nama engineers make to eliminate these complaints and revolutionize the industry? Let’s take a look.

It’s All About The Hopper

There are a few key features of the Nama J2 that set it apart from other vertical, slow-masticating style juicers. The main one is how produce is prepped and fed into the machine. They completely transformed the small feed chute into a large batching hopper that is exactly the same diameter as the entire width of the machine. 

While most other vertical juicers, including Nama’s original Vitality 5800, have a small-sized feed chute, the J2 has a whopping 5.25 in (13.34 cm) hopper opening. The lid opens up via a hinge with a trigger-like button that swings open vertically towards the back of the machine. Its large opening allows you to add minimally prepped ingredients to the hopper, close the lid, and step away while it does the work.

Did you catch that? You toss everything in and then literally STEP AWAY. For anyone who has done even the minimal amount of juicing you know how amazing a feature this is!

One of the most common complaints I hear is that juicing takes way too long; requiring too much prepping. The J2 tackles this top complaint head-on; wrestles it to the ground, hog-ties it, and neatly removes it completely from the playing field.

With vertical juicers, it’s recommended that you chop up the ingredients, especially fibrous greens and herbs like kale, chard, celery, parsley, cilantro, etc. Chopping everything into small bits shortens the fibers that are responsible for clogging up the pulp outlet chute in other juicers of this style. This clogging is a central issue for most vertical juicers…but not the Nama J2!

With the J2, you only need to chop ingredients to a size where they fit into the hopper. That’s it. 

For example, long carrots, cucumbers, or celery need only be cut in half or thirds. Apples, beets, ginger, tomatoes, and anything you can juice, just drop them in. Seriously, no prep needed! This makes juicing super fast.

This feature completely eliminates the time required to stand next to the machine and feed each piece of produce into the feed chute as the pressing auger slowly draws in and juices the produce. With the Nama J2, you simply drop everything into the hopper, close the lid, and walk away.

Once the lid is closed and the juicer switched to ON, there is a hard plastic cutting blade at the bottom of the hopper that spins at the same slow speed as the pressing auger. It not only cuts the produce as it spins, but it also feeds the produce automatically into the juice auger pressing chamber.

No more need to chop up apples into sections, cucumbers into spears, or beets into chunks! The slow-spinning cutter at the bottom of the hopper does the work!

Improved Pulp Chute – Less Clogging, Easy Cleaning

Nama also completely re-designed the pulp outlet chute. Whereas the old chute design was prone to clogging when juicing fibrous pulp from greens, herbs, celery, ginger, etc, the new outlet chute has a perfect size and shape to allow the same fibrous pulp to flow out freely while simultaneously providing optimal juicing efficiency.

Additionally, they designed the outlet chute with a completely new feature that allows it to be hinged open for simple cleaning after juicing is finished. The old design required some digging with a cleaning tool to remove all the pulp. The new design simply pops open and allows easy super fast cleaning.

Save Significant Time

The above features combine to provide you with the biggest advantage of all: flat-out saving you a ton of time.

With the batching hopper, you no longer need to stand next to the juicer and continually feed produce. You can do other things while the juicer makes the juice all on its own!

I’ve even dropped a whole, small pineapple into the hopper without chopping it into pieces or cutting the core out. Simply remove the crown, bottom, and skin, drop it into the hopper, close the lid, and step away. The J2 handles it completely!

Instead of chopping and feeding produce ingredients in the juicer, you can use that time to put away extra produce and clean things up. You can do whatever you want while the J2 does its thing! You could sneak in some push-ups, read a blog post, or do some dishes, all while the J2 makes you delicious fresh juice.

If you decide to clean your prep area while the juicer does its thing, all that will be left to do is clean the juicer itself. This even takes less time than the typical juicer. I’ve timed it from start to finish; a mere 3 minutes and 32 seconds. Everything about the Nama J2 saves you a significant amount of precious time.

3. Is the Nama J2 Right For You?

Even with all its innovations, there is much more to consider before deciding if the Nama J2 is the right juicer for you.

What Should You Look For In Your Juicer?

When it comes to choosing a juicer, my mantra is: 

“The best juicer is the one that you use.”

To help you choose, I run every juicer I review through my checklist of things you should consider before making a purchase (see below). This guarantees I look at every model using an apples-to-apples methodology, ensuring I cover the key elements of each and every one.

• Juicing Speed / Convenience / Prep Time
• Juice Yield / Dryness Of Pulp
• Juice Screens / Juice Pulp Level
• Nutrient Extraction
• Ease Of Clean-Up / Simplicity Of Design
• Size of juicer
• Durability/ Type of Materials
• Cost / Warranty

Note that this checklist, alone, is not going to tell you if the juicer being reviewed is right for you.

Why? Because only you know your individual or family’s needs, which define what features you prioritize over others. YOU know you best. So, your role is to identify which checklist items are the most important and weigh them accordingly as you make your juicer purchasing decision.

How Does the Nama J2 Stack Up? 

• Juicing Speed / Convenience / Prep Time

As mentioned above, the J2 absolutely wins hands down on speed and convenience. It’s the fastest, most convenient juicer that we have ever reviewed. With prep time slashed (thanks to that large-mouthed hopper) and the ability to walk away while it does the juicing for you, it’s a definite winner in the speed, convenience, and prep time department.

It’s so fast and convenient that it’s actually hard not to use it. If you are super busy with family, work, and other life obligations and time is a top priority, then the J2 is a juicer that you should seriously consider.

• Juice Yield / Dryness of Pulp

The J2 does an excellent job of extracting juice efficiently. Does the J2 have the same juice yield as a Greenstar Pro or PURE juicer? Nope. Will it be faster and more convenient to use? Yep. Compared to other vertical juicers, however, the J2 does equally, if not better, in the juice yield and dry pulp category. 

• Juice Screens / Juice Pulp Level

The J2 comes with 2 juice filter screens, both constructed from stainless steel with a durable hard plastic framework. One has smaller mesh screen holes than the other. The small-holed one is for juicing whereas the other is designed for smoothies (producing a much more viscous, pulp-filled liquid than you find in typical juice).

The juicing screen and mechanism on the J2 produce what I refer to as a medium level of pulp quantity in the juice. The pulp level will be more than what is experienced on the Greenstar Elite or Pro and PURE juicer, but less than other vertical or horizontal juicers in its price range.

I primarily use the fine mesh “juice” screen to make juice, which provides a more pulp-free liquid. If you like a higher pulp level juice, use the “smoothie” mesh screen described above. 

Juice Feaster Pro Tip: If you want your juice even more pulp-free, use my trick of pouring it through a fine hand strainer before drinking. I do this with all my juices, regardless of what machine I use to make them.

• Nutrient Extraction

As a slow juicer, the J2 is great for nutrient extraction. Its vertical auger, slow masticating style is key to extracting nutrients, enzymes, and phytochemicals as well as preventing oxidation to retain nutrition. 

This style of juicer won’t extract as much nutrition as a twin-gear horizontal style, such as the Greenstar Pro, or a two-stage, hydraulic press style like the PURE, but it is definitely the best in its class of single auger, slow masticating styles. 

•  Ease Of Clean-Up / Simplicity Of Design

The engineers at Nama have done an incredible job designing the J2 with a minimal number of parts. This provides easy assembly, operation, disassembly, and cleaning. 

The entire juicing and hopper assembly that sits on top of the motor base is assembled as one unit before placing it onto the motor base. Similarly, after juicing it is removed as one unit and disassembled into its component parts for cleaning. This keeps both the motor base and countertop clean, minimizing total clean-up time. 

Start to finish (disassembly, cleaning in the sink with some dish soap, and placing in a drying rack) takes an average of 3:30 seconds. This is super fast! Note that dishwasher washing is not recommended, as the high temperatures can damage plastic parts. 

•  Size of Juicer 

The J2 is not huge in size, but it isn’t what we’d consider a travel juicer either. With its total dimensions, Weight – 12.1 lbs / 5.5 kg; Width 9.8 in (249 mm) / Length 9.0 in (229 mm) / Height 17.7 (451 mm), the J2 will fit nicely on the counter of even the smallest of kitchens. Small enough to slip nicely under most over-counter cabinets, it has a sleek, modern design that looks great on any countertop. 

• Durability / Types of Materials

The J2 is made with a top-of-the-line durability combination of ABS, Tritan & Ultem plastics. The hopper and base are made of ABS plastic. The juicing auger is made of Ultem plastic. The chamber is made of Tritan plastic. The juicing mesh screen is made from a combination of Ultem plastic and stainless steel. All plastic used on the J2 is BPA-free and food safe. 

• Cost / Warranty

The J2 comes in at a price point that we could call a “Mid-Range” priced juicer. While it’s not the most expensive juicer, it’s also not the cheapest. At the time of writing this review, Nama provides a payment plan option through Affirm starting at $50 per month.

The J2 has a 15-year warranty for the motor and a 2-year warranty for all other parts. 

Additional Features

• You Can Make Nut Milk

The J2 makes delicious nut or non-dairy milk; like almond, cashew, oat, or coconut. This is very easily accomplished by soaking the items to be milked, adding them to the hopper with sufficient water, turning on the juicer, and making sure that the juice outlet lid is closed. 

Once the juicer is turned on, it will extract the milk and discharge the nut pulp through the outlet chute. Once the pulp is completely discharged, the milk is finished! Open the juice outlet lid to collect the delicious non-dairy milk.

• Juice Collection Pitcher

The juice collection pitcher has a 1.5 liter or approximately 48 oz capacity. Other juicer pitchers are typically only 500 ml – 1000 ml. 

The J2 pitcher comes with a lid to store it for a short time in the refrigerator. I recommend that juice made on slow, cold press juicers like the J2 can be stored for up to 3 days (72 hours) in sealed, completely filled (no headspace) glass jars in the refrigerator.

Juice Feaster Pro Tip: I store my juice solely in glass as it prevents any oxygen transfer through plastic and thus reduces oxidation and prevents nutrient loss. Also, I prefer the sustainability and recyclability of glass as well. I strongly suggest you use glass as well for juice storage. These are my go-to jars and leak-proof lids. I have a TON of them and use them daily. They never steer me wrong.

• Powerful, Reversible Motor

The Nama J2 comes with a powerful 200-watt motor, which is on par with other vertical masticating juicers in its class. Similar to other juicers with this motor size, the J2 comes with an instruction to not run the juicer continuously for longer than 30 minutes. This may overheat the juicer and cause it to trip the motor off; a standard motor safety measure. The juicer will restart after a period of time, once it cools down to the proper operating temperature. 

Although it is not recommended, I’ve tested this by running the juicer for longer than 30 minutes using soft ingredients (like pineapple and honeydew melons) and the machine hasn’t shut off. However, if I used hard roots, fruits, or otherwise fibrous ingredients such as beets, ginger, and celery, I’m pretty sure it would trigger the automatic shutoff mechanism. 

In my experience with this juicer, thanks to its batching hopper, 30 minutes is more than ample time to create a TON of juice. So, this automatic safety feature is not a limitation for the machine whatsoever.

There is also a reverse option on the control switch that allows the motor and auger direction to be reversed momentarily. This can be used if a piece of produce gets stuck on the cutting blade in the hopper, etc. By reversing, the piece of produce can be dislodged, and then the switch can be moved back to “forward” to continue juicing.

The motor produces one of the slowest juicing RPMs for juicers in its class coming in at 50 RPMs. Other juicers in its class typically have 80 RPMs or higher. When it comes to juicing, slow is good! With slow RPMs, oxidation is reduced while optimizing juicing efficiency. This reduced oxidation retains vital vitamins and enzyme activity, keeping your juices fresh and full of nutrition. 

• Whisper Quiet Noise Levels

The J2 is incredibly quiet. It is by far one of the quietest juicers that I’ve ever tested. This is a very nice feature if you are trying not to disturb sleeping family members or roommates, traveling with your J2 juicer while staying in a hotel suite or AirBnB, or simply tired of loud kitchen appliances. Your eardrums, and those around you, will be grateful.

• Kid Safe. Mom Approved.

The J2 Juicer design is very safe, especially for children. When the hopper lid is open, even if the switch is toggled ON, the juicer will not run. This excellent safety feature allows your little kitchen helpers (aka children) to get involved with the juicing process without worry. Nama engineers were careful to include these safety features so that kids can enjoy juicing as a shared experience with family. 

• Color Options

The J2 comes in two colors, black and white, compared to the single silver option on the Nama sister juicer, the Vitality 5800.

4. Is There Anything We Don’t Like?

• Sorry, No Nice Cream

If I had a magic wand, I’d love for the Nama J2 to make frozen fruit and nut sorbets (otherwise known as “nice cream”) like other vertical juicers. Unlike the original Nama juicer, the Vitality 5800, the J2 does not come with a blank juicing screen (one without fine mesh holes) that would allow the J2 to make nice cream. So, if you’re looking specifically for a juicer that also makes nice cream, you’ll need to consider some other options.

• A Bit On The Pulpy Side

I personally prefer a more pulp-free juice, and the J2 does have higher pulp levels than horizontal style juicers in its price range. That said, it has similar pulp levels compared to other vertical style juicers, so is not out of the ordinary.

• No Citrus Reamer, Either…Yet

It would make the J2 a little more versatile if it had a citrus juicer/reamer attachment. Currently, citrus must be peeled first to juice using the J2. This is a little slower process unless you have an automatic peeler (like this one that I LOVE). There is a rumor that a citrus attachment may be forthcoming, which would be wonderful!

5. Final Thoughts On The Nama J2

I’ve been in the juicing world a long time, and not too often do new products come along that get my attention. Well, I have to say that the Nama J2 Juicer has done exactly that. 

In a sentence, it absolutely lives up to its “Revolutionary” reputation!

Even with the few small things noted above, the simple fact is that the J2 is so incredibly fast and convenient to use that it outweighs any of those less-than-perfect points. It’s honestly the fastest, most convenient juicer that I’ve ever used and has become my go-to daily juicer. 

After using the Nama J2 intensively, I’m truly impressed by its overall performance. So much so that I consider the J2 as my favorite all-purpose juicer in its price range. 

Have you used the Nama J2? Do you plan on purchasing one? Any questions about it? Let us know in the comments!