Raw Taos is the new juice bar on the north side of town, between Silva’s Tire and the Guad. Last week I went over to check it out to see why I should buy juice there instead of staying at home and juicing on my own.
Full disclosure — I’ve never really been stoked about the time commitment involved in juicing at home. So for me, the sheer avoidance of chopping, peeling, pressing and meticulously scrubbing minute pieces of produce off a multitude of juicer parts with a fine nylon brush is worth the $6 alone. But if you’re still a skeptic, keep reading.
I sat down with co-owner Jared Casias over twelve mini shooters of juice to discuss the particulars.
The juice at Raw Taos is cold pressed. With a cold press, juice is slowly masticated (yep, I said it) at low temperatures, and then hydraulically pressed. The low temperature keeps nutrients and enzymes from oxidizing and breaking down, while the shit-ton of hydraulic pressure ensures that every possible iota of juice ends up in your mouth. Basically you are getting the most bang for your buck with cold pressed juice, because the nutrients are whole and intact and nothing’s left behind.
Raw Taos currently sources its fruits and veggies from Veritable Vegetable. Jared says they are using about 90% organic produce. As the business grows, he is very excited about forging cooperative partnerships with local farms to supply our community’s juicing habit year round — operative words here being co-operative and community.
When I showed up at Raw Taos I really had no idea what to expect. Jared came out from the office, shook my hand, and as I studiously got out my notebook, beginning our conversation with “Ok, let’s see, where to start…,” Jared took everything in an entirely different direction. He asked me about myself. As our conversation meandered through the woods of getting to know each other, punctuated by me curiously sipping on samples of juice, I quickly realized that Jared wasn’t in it just for the juice. Jared started Raw Taos with a vision. While nutrition is an essential component to the community he’s creating, more importantly Jared wants Raw Taos to be a beacon that will guide and inspire others to a balanced state of body and mind well-being.
In fact, the entire building of Raw Taos is set up to foster different values. The counter is long, allowing people to discuss and sample juice like a wine tasting instead of keeping their heads down shuffling along in an endless queue to the cash register. Benches line the walls and there are only a few very large community tables, so if you want to sit and drink your juice, odds are you’ll end up talking to someone else. The back of the building is an ideal setting for workshops, storytelling sessions, theater and more.
At this point in our conversation I’m starting to feel a little buzzy. I can’t tell if it’s the initial effects of the juice or the community vision Jared and the employees of Raw Taos are weaving. Then I sample one of their mind-blowing “nutseed mylks.” What? Yes. Sprouted nuts and seeds are blended with ionic water, warming spices and sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Holy Wow! I have never tasted anything so creamy and eye-poppingly delicious.The Hemp Honey n’ Pumpkin was my favorite of all the samples. Jared gave me a 12 oz to take with me, which I totally devoured, and it kept me on my feet and full of energy through my entire work day.
If you’re not sold on the juice or the “nutseed mylks,” Raw Taos also offers cold-brewed coffee for you diehard hipsters, and will add coconut oil to it if you like it bulletproof. They are planning on introducing vegan dishes starting this fall, and in the coming weeks will be implementing a delivery service around town. Raw Taos is open Monday through Saturday, 8am-4pm. Seriously, people — go get your juice on.
Thanks to Wren Haffner at Raw Taos for letting us use these great photos!