What Is Cold Pressed Juice, Really?

Suits are freshly pressed. Coffee can be French pressed. We’re repressed. What about juice? You’ll be happy to know that juice does get a turn at being pressed—cold pressed, that is. But what is cold pressed juice? Maybe you’ve seen it on the shelves of Whole Foods. Maybe you’ve heard people talking about it after yoga class. Maybe it’s completely foreign to you. In any case, maybe you’ve got questions. Regardless, we’ve got answers. 

What is cold pressed juice?

Cold pressed juice is juice that’s been extracted without the aid of any heat, very often by hydraulic press. Essentially explaining that “cold pressed juice” is juice that is pressed cold may seem redundant, but better safe than sorry, considering that produce is full of deceit. Pineapples are neither pines nor apples. Watermelon never tastes as good as it looks. 

Okay, but what does cold pressed juice mean, really? To break it down even more, cold pressing juice separates the fiber from fruit and vegetable cells without the use of heat. The hydraulic press used in the juicing process applies thousands of pounds of pressure to squeeze out the liquid.

How is cold pressed juice made?

Simply put, cold press juicers do what Simone Biles does to the competition: absolutely crush. While a cold press juicer might be a little sloppier with a triple pike, it juices by first crushing the produce, then pressing it. 

The goal of cold press is to extract as much juice while doing as little damage as possible. This is as opposed to the “chew it up and spit it out” method of the common household juicer. The common household centrifugal juicer uses a blade that spins at high speed, which juices quickly but generates heat that breaks down some of the nutrients, colors, and flavors of the final product. 

Theoretically, cold-pressed juices retain more flavor and nutritive value than other juices, but we cannot conduct a conclusive study considering we don’t have a PhD (Pulpy Hydrator doctorate) or JD (juice doctorate). Though it may very well have benefits, cold-pressed juice is also more time and labor intensive, and therefore often more expensive. 

How much more expensive is cold pressed juice?

Cold-pressed juices typically run between $5 and $10 per single serve bottle. This may seem a little steep, but it doesn’t stop juice-thirsty people from buying. Fortune Business Insights stated in 2022 that the cold-pressed juice market is projected to grow from $1.15 billion to nearly $2 billion by 2029. 

Is cold pressed juice pasteurized?

Unless you’re buying super fresh juice from a local shop or farmer’s market, odds are, your cold pressed juice is pasteurized. The inevitable oxidation from exposing the delicious nectar to the harsh reality of life means that raw cold pressed juice only has a shelf life of about three to four days. However, most juicers on the market combat this by using a pasteurization method known as high pressure processing (HPP) in which already-bottled juices are submerged in cold water under high pressure to kill pathogens. This increases shelf life to between 30 and 45 days. 

Does cold pressed juice have sugar?

Sure do! Now, whether or not they have added sugar is different. Cold pressed juices are bound to contain the natural sugars from the fruits and vegetables from which they came, but most cold pressed juice companies do not add sugar to supplement this natural sweetness. While it’s uncommon to see added sugar, be sure to check the nutrition facts if you’d like to be certain.