March of 2018, a small box arrived at my doorstep. That was my Hurricane manual wheatgrass juicer from Amazon. I've been using it every morning for almost four years now, and it's still like new!
At first, when I started growing wheatgrass, unfortunately, I didn't even think about how to squeeze juice from the grass. But then, on the Internet, I read that you can use a blender. So I had a small blender, like a magic bullet model. I thought it would be good.
I cut off the grass, threw it into a magic bullet, added some water, and turned it on for a couple of minutes. It was my first experience. And it was here, my first wheatgrass juice or little green water in the first look. Yes, the blender damaged grass by the blades, so the water was green. It even smelled like freshly cut grass. But something told me that the wheatgrass juice should look different; at least on the Internet, it looked completely different in the pictures.
The first thing I realized was that this little magic bullet blender was completely ineffective for this purpose. Although, the wheatgrass was damaged but not completely crushed, which told me that the process had not finished.
Second, you need to buy something else - either a high-powered blender or a cold press wheatgrass juicer, manual or electric.
Diving deep into the topic, I figured out the best to use for squeezing the juice from the wheatgrass sprouts.
And, my choice fell on the Hurricane Manual Wheatgrass Juicer, and now let's talk about it in more detail.
It is not interesting to write a review when you unpack a product. Much more interesting is the review, when you show the product sometime after its regular use. Do you agree with me?
Look at my order from Amazon. Please note the purchase date is March 2018. As I write the juicer review, it is December 2021. So almost four years have passed since the purchase.
Juicer is constructed of steel; it is heavy and durable. It doesn't have any plastic parts, only stainless steel. As you can see in the picture, all the working details are perfect. I've just bent the metal filter a bit because I put a lot of grass in the beginning and tried to rotate the handle by force. Please do not do it! I'll explain it later.
Hurricane juicer works fine so far. The legs are alright; the handle is OK. Why is everything OK? Because there are only four steel parts: main body, auger, filter, and top cap. What can you break there? If you only lose something? Let's take a closer look at the features of this wheatgrass juicer.
Features of the juicer
1. Special auger screw.
Special auger screw for better squeezing wheatgrass juice consists of five working areas: cutting, smashing, fine crushing, squeezing, and grinding wheatgrass. The last parts of the shaft are thicker, which helps squeeze out the juice better than the regular screw. The liquid starts to flow out actively when the wheatgrass reaches the squeezing and grinding zones.
Note: Be careful not to put your fingers deep into the juicer; the shaft in the cutting area is quite sharp. You can cut yourself very hard. In almost four years of using this juicer, I hit myself on my fingers only once and not very hard, but I still remember that.
Due to the unique structure of the shaft, there are two possible kinds of problems that I had.
- The first is when the grass gets stuck in the smashing area, somewhere in the middle; the shaft spins easily, but the grass spinning with it and does not move deeper. To fix this, you need to return the grass to the area where you put the wheatgrass grass in; into the cutting working area. How to do it? Just rotate the handle opposite, and the wheatgrass will move backward. Then turn the handle forward again - clockwise.
- The second problem is possible if you put too much wheatgrass at once. The wheatgrass reaches the squeezing area and gets stuck; you will feel that you can not rotate the handle anymore. But really, you can do it with more effort than necessary. Hold the juicer with your other hand and try to turn the handle. If it does not come out, return the grass by rotating the handle opposite; pick out some wheatgrass. So, try to squeeze half of the wheatgrass bunch. Don't add a lot of stuff next time.
And I will give you a solution for both problems at once - about the amount of grass and the squeezing process itself.
- You don't need to take a lot of grass at once; it will be tough to rotate the handle. Also, if you put less grass, it can just go through without squeezing out. For example, the trays I use for growing wheatgrass: I cut off all the wheatgrass and mentally divide it into four bunches. The juice from this tray will be enough for two people.
- It is necessary to hold the grass a bit, so do not let go through the whole bunch. Let the shaft cut the wheatgrass little by little. Look at the picture; hold the grass by pressing bunch a bit by the edge of the juicer. Rotate the handle, and you will feel how the shaft cut off some grass. Now release the bunch a little bit and keep rotating the handle. The shaft will cut off some grass again. So, you can control this process. Each time when you squeeze juice, you'll do it better and better. Practice makes perfect!
Note: Again and again! Never put your fingers deeply; you could damage them. It is enough to hold grass at the very top!
2. A small gap between the table and the juice holes.
For me, a small gap between the legs and juice holes is not a problem but rather a juicer feature. Well, yes, I can't use glass to squeeze the juice into it right away. But I efficiently use a deep plate.
About 2 inches of clearance, so keep that in mind.
3. A small mount opening.
The mount only opens to about 2 inches. I strongly advise you to choose a surface like wood or thick plywood. If you use a marble or stone surface, be very careful with squeezing a big bunch of wheatgrass. Please do not force the handle; the mount is solid, so you would risk cracking the stone countertop. Remember, if you took the right amount of wheatgrass, the handle turns with a bit of effort, but not hard.
You can also put two pieces of plywood: one under the legs and the second for the screw.
Why I chose Hurricane manual wheatgrass juicer
It's heavy, with solid construction. Also, it has only four parts, is extremely easy to assemble/disassemble, and clean. That's it! Although a couple more thoughts.
Why manual juicer, not electric.
It is simply because of the price. Before I bought it, I wondered if I might not like wheatgrass juice. I didn't even know if I would grow wheatgrass, then squeeze and drink it, especially every morning. I did not want to spend a lot of money. And the difference between manual and electric quality juicers is several times, up to 4-5 times. So, I decided to buy a top manual juicer than a low-grade electric one.
Its unique design of the auger screw.
You don't have to be an excellent engineer to figure out that thickening by the end of the shaft helps squeeze every last drop out of the wheatgrass. But, yes, because of this construction, sometimes it is challenging to rotate the handle. But this happens when you put a lot of grass at once. I've talked about it already.
The pulp is really dry.
Although some people complain that the pulp is wet, they haven't seen really wet pulp from a juicer. But this is simply because they use it wrong. As I've said already, if you take a lot of grass, it will get stuck. But, on the other hand, if you take a little, the grass will not be squeezed out and will come out not even damaged. So practice, practice and practice.
By the way, of course, I also thought about squeezing the pulp two times and even did it. But I was upset and never did it again!
Some complaints about Hurricane manual wheatgrass juicer
What else have I read from other people after learning how to use it?
Well, for example, that someone "cracked the edge of the stone countertop."
It was probably unnecessary to put a massive bunch of wheatgrass. After that, you could rotate the handle only by pushing with the whole body. That's why you cracked the stone.
Someone complained that "it had to be washed every time after use, so you had to unscrew and screw the juicer again and again."
It is funny! I might think they do not wash the plates, silverware, or food processor after cooking and dining. I've been just rinsing the juicer with warm water after using it. I don't use any detergent or even a sponge, and it still looks new)) But I do it as soon as I squeeze out the wheatgrass juice.
That is, my scheme of using the wheatgrass juicer:
- assemble the juicer;
- screw it to the table;
- cut off the wheatgrass and squeeze it out;
- drink juice;
- unscrew;
- rinse with warm water, and wash the planting containers for next use;
- put it disassembled on a shelf without even drying it.
For everything about 8-10 minutes. Four years - it still looks like new!
"You can use the juicer for wheatgrass only."
Well, for me, I mostly use it for squeezing wheatgrass.
Although sometimes I use it for smashing cranberries. Sometimes I make a homemade drink: cranberries, lemon, honey, and pure water. But, I do not need to separate the pulp from the juice. I use everything! The point is to smash and crush the cranberries well!
I read on the Internet that you can use this juicer to make any citrus fruits (like lemon or orange). But for that, I have a particular juicer.
Get this juicer, try it! Then let me know how it will work for you. I am sure you will not regret it!
In conclusion, I would like to remind you that I bought the Hurricane wheatgrass juicer on Amazon four years ago (now it is December 2021). So please do not rely on my price. Instead, check its current price at this link.
