Kuvings Whole Slow C7000S Review

We ran the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S through a rigorous set of tests to establish its premiere position in a competitive class of juicers.

Juice Quality

For obvious reasons, the juice quality metric is the most important component of our juicer review. To test the quality of the squeeze, or mastication in the case, of the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S, we use three different juice recipes and rate them for texture, taste, and thickness. Ideally, we want a juice with consistent texture and minimal pulp that isn't watery while showcasing the ingredients' natural flavors. The Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S delivered a respectable performance in the juice quality analysis. However, it wasn't without shortfalls, particularly in the Can't Beet It recipe, where the juicer produced a foamy liquid with an earthy taste and a persistent bitter/sour undertone that left tasters scrunching up their noses. Yet, this machine did quite well where the other two recipes were concerned, rendering a combined performance near the top of the class.

The other two recipes used are Romaine-Apple-Orange and Sunset Blend — the latter blends apples, oranges, potatoes, beetroot, and carrots. The Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S made up for the lost ground by producing high-quality beverages in these last two tests. However, the Romaine-Apple-Orange was a tad watery, while the Sunset Blend took some work pushing down the ingredients to get them processed thoroughly. All told, we were pleased with the unit's performance even though we noticed that it tended to carry over colors and flavors from the previous recipe despite complete cleaning between juices.

Soft Produce

The soft produce metric focuses on how the juicers handle ingredients with softer textures and higher water contents. Specifically, we juice cucumbers, celery, oranges, and apples, measuring the yield of liquid as a percentage of the whole fruit or vegetable. We also look at the quality of the juice produced. Features of the juice quality included pulp, separation (within the liquid), foam, and color. The Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S performed quite well in this category — setting the bar for the class and illustrating the benefits of a masticating machine for soft produce.

There were some interesting findings when we unpacked the results of the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S in the soft produce metric. Specifically, the juicer appears to do much better (in terms of extracting juice) with apples and oranges than cucumbers and celery. There was also a fair amount of pulp in the oranges and a gritty texture in the apples. All the soft produce items, except for celery, yielded a fair amount of foam. We observed no separation in the soft produce juices.

Hard Produce

Much like the soft produce metric, the hard produce metric focuses on the amount of juice produced from carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes. The testing process is identical and varies only in the produce used. While the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S excelled in the soft produce assessment, it struggled with the hard produce. However, that is not to say that it did terribly; rather, this metric is the single blemish in its otherwise stellar undertaking.

So, what went wrong with the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S's juicing performance when it went to work on firmer ingredients? To be frank, this is not an unexpected result. The Kuvings is a mastication machine, and, as our testing over the years has shown, masticators tend to excel at softer, leafier ingredients. This result is due to the slow speed at which they operate — juicing hard produce requires a firm hand, whereas soft produce likes a slower, gentler extraction process. Beets proved particularly challenging for the Kuvings, whereas sweet potatoes rendered a good amount of juice. Finally, all the hard produce yielded a lot of foam, though most of it was captured in the included strainer. Despite the foaminess and the low volume of juice extracted, the juice itself was smooth and, with the exception of the sweet potatoes, quite tasty. This device also occasionally jams when fed hard produce too quickly. Luckily, it includes a nifty feature that allows you to spin the produce in the opposite direction — thus unjamming the device without having to take it apart.

Leafy Greens

If the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S struggled with hard produce and excelled with soft produce, it shot the moon with leafy greens. This metric follows the same format as the previous two (hand and soft produce). However, for the leafy greens metric, we tested the Kuvings with wheatgrass, kale, and spinach — ingredients that are notoriously difficult to juice. Simply put, the masticator in Kuvings juicer worked like magic, producing more and better juice than its peers.

The leafy green juice was smooth and creamy. However, there was also very little foam byproduct compared to others, and the colors of the juices were rich and faithful to their leafy origin. That said, there was some pulp that wasn't captured in the strainer, particularly with the kale and spinach. Aside from that minor gripe, this machine is decidedly a go-to for those who aim to juice a lot of leafy greens.

Cleaning

Whereas the quality of the juice is the most important metric in our review of juicers, cleaning is the least. However, it is one that someone shopping for a juicer should pay close attention to because these products have a lot of parts and can be quite a pain to clean. We have observed (and personally experienced) that nothing wipes away the satisfaction of a nice glass of juice like a frustrating cleaning process. Happily, the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S is relatively easy to clean despite its myriad parts.

You may have noticed that we have more than once mentioned the multitude of parts that make up a juicer — be warned, these products can resemble a puzzle when assembling. Our cleaning evaluation assesses no less than seven components: discs, filter, food pusher, lid, strainer bowl, pulp container, and juice cup. A variety of brushes are also included that help expedite the cleaning process. The Kuvings is dishwasher safe, but it has many nooks and crannies that the dishwasher can struggle to clean. The included brushes help ease the burden, and, all told, the unit would have performed better if it had more parts than some of the competition and thus requires that much more work.

Should You Buy the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S?

The answer to this question is yes, but with a few caveats. For one, it is quite expensive, and depending on what kind of juices you plan to make, it might not be necessary. Masticating juicers, and the Kuvings Whole Slow Elite C7000S in particular, excel at juicing challenging ingredients such as leafy greens. If that's not what you're planning on making, save yourself the money and get a centrifugal device. That said, if you want a top-notch kitchen appliance that can essentially do it all, the Kuvings should be at the very top of your list.

What Other Juicer Should You Consider?