What Is a Bluicer — And Do You Need One?

Breville just came out with a new countertop appliance called the “Bluicer” that promises to blend, juice, and bluice. But what is bluicing you might ask? We’re glad you did! (And, yes, we think the name is silly, too.) Anyway, bluicing is the process of juicing and then blending. This multitasker juices into the blender jar so that, after juicing, you can add ice, yogurt, berries, and other ingredients to blend into a smoothie with freshly-made juice. Sounds kind of delicious, right?

It’s also fairly pricey: The 3X Bluicer Pro retails for $400 and the 3X Bluicer is only slightly more affordable at $300. Still, a blender or a

juicer

It does! When it comes to juicing, it’s fast, relatively easy to use, gets most of the juice out of the pulp, and keeps the juice relatively cold. The feed tube is also large enough hold a whole Granny Smith apple. It also blends like a dream, completely pulverizing pears, ginger, kale, and frozen mango, and creating a thick, smooth consistency. 

As with all juicers, there are many parts to assemble and take apart and clean. Once you get the hang of it, however, it’s easy to set up and it also has fewer nooks and crannies than other juicing machines.

The machine is controlled by large buttons and a speed dial and has an electronic control pad that has five one-touch settings for smoothies, green smoothies, frozen cocktails, and crushed ice as well as one for an automatic cleaning cycle.  

One notable ding: Before you start the machine, you need to click a large safety arm into place, which is a definite extra step. If you forget to do it, the machine won’t run and the control panel will prompt you to raise and lock it. 

It depends on what convenient means to you: If this is taking the place of two countertop gadgets, one might argue that, yes, one appliance is better than two. However, when fully assembled, the Bluicer is a big apparatus and you’ll have to clear considerable counter space to accommodate it. The base is definitely larger and heavier than on a typical blender and you’ll need cabinet space to store all the juicing parts. Also, it’s noisy, but not excessively or unpleasantly so in either mode. 

I don’t recommend the Bluicer as an impulse purchase. To start with, there’s the price. But also: Are you already a dedicated juicer who has room for a big appliance? If the answer is yes, it seems like a worthwhile investment! The Bluicer is a beautiful, high performing model that can also double as a blender.

But if you’re in the market for a blender and think I can also juice if and when I want to, I would caution you to remember that juicing is an investment in time, money, and refrigerator space. For many, juicers are one of those appliances that get relegated to the attic after a short trial period. And there are lots of very good blenders out there that cost much less.

What do you think: Would you invest in a Bluicer?