astoria, queens · juice bar
"Cold-pressed" gets used loosely, so here's the actual difference: it's a method, not a marketing word, and it's the reason Nova's juice looks and tastes the way it does.
What "Cold-Pressed" Actually Means
Most juice is made one of two ways. A centrifugal juicer spins fruit against a blade at high speed, which generates heat and air exposure — both of which start breaking down nutrients and flavor fairly quickly. A hydraulic press, by contrast, crushes fruit and vegetables slowly under high pressure with no blade and almost no heat, which means less oxidation and a juice that holds its color, nutrients and flavor longer.
The technique itself isn't new — hydraulic pressing has been used for cider and oil for a very long time — but "cold-pressed juice" as a specific wellness category took off in the 2000s and 2010s, as juice bars and cleanse culture turned a production method into a selling point. The upside of all that marketing is real, though: a good cold-pressed juice genuinely tastes closer to the fruit it came from.
Nova's juice bar makes a rotating board of fresh juices — Berry Blush, Beet Babe, Peach Kleen, Citrus Kiss, Go Green, Zesty Zen, Mango Tango and Kiwi Pop among them — from fruit that comes in from the Astoria market and gets juiced, blended and served the same day. Nothing sits around waiting for a shelf life.
If you want fruit in a different form, the same produce shows up across the smoothie and açaí side of the board.
Nova's juice counter is at 41-02 30th Ave, a couple of blocks from the Astoria Blvd N/W station — order a juice on your way out the door or stay and sit at the counter. More on the neighborhood →
Cold-pressed juice is made with a hydraulic press instead of a spinning blade, which means less heat and oxidation — so the juice keeps more of its original color, nutrients and flavor.
Yes — fruit comes in from the Astoria market and gets juiced the same day, nothing sits pre-made on a shelf.
Juices come in M ($9) and L ($10) sizes across the fresh juice board.
41-02 30th Ave, Astoria, Queens — two blocks from the N/W train.
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