Piñon Coffee Recall: What Actually Happened and What to Do

If you searched “pinon coffee recall,” you probably saw a headline calling it “urgent” and wondered whether you should dump your Keurig cups down the drain right now. Short answer: for most people, no. Here’s the full picture, straight from the FDA notice and the company’s own statements.

What Was Recalled

New Mexico Piñon Coffee, the Albuquerque-based roaster that operates under the name CinFranky LLC, voluntarily recalled a batch of its Dark Piñon Single Serve Cups, sold in 10-count boxes for Keurig-style machines. The company has been roasting coffee in New Mexico since 1994 and processes over a million pounds of beans a year, so this wasn’t a fly-by-night brand cutting corners. It was a packaging defect that slipped through on one production run.

The recall covers this specific product only:

• Product: Dark Piñon Single Serve Cups, 10-count box
• Lot code: 251749
• UPC: 812361033081
• Best-by date: May 8, 2026
• Units affected: approximately 154 boxes

No other Piñon Coffee products, lot codes, or package sizes are part of this recall. If your box doesn’t match that lot code, it isn’t affected.

Why the Recall Happened

The problem traces back to the lid, not the coffee itself. According to the FDA notice, the clear coat sealant on top of the cups wasn’t applied consistently during manufacturing. That sealant is supposed to lock the printed lid ink in place. Without a solid seal, the high heat and water pressure inside a Keurig machine can cause that food-safe ink to bleed into the brewed cup.

The company’s president, Matthew Bregar, addressed it directly in a statement, saying the issue was isolated and didn’t meet the standard the company holds itself to, and that production changes have already been made to prevent a repeat.

How Serious Is It, Really?

This is where a lot of the scarier headlines overstate things. The FDA classified this as a Class III recall, its lowest severity tier. That classification means exposure isn’t expected to cause adverse health effects. Piñon Coffee has said it received zero reports of illness or injury tied to the product, and the ink involved was already labeled food-safe to begin with; the defect was about inconsistent sealing, not a toxic ingredient.

Compare that to a Class I recall, which covers situations where a product could cause serious harm or death. This wasn’t that. Still, “low risk” isn’t “no risk,” which is why the company pulled the batch rather than waiting to see what happened.

Where the Affected Product Was Sold

Distribution details varied a bit across news outlets. Piñon Coffee itself pointed to select Albertsons and Walmart locations in New Mexico, plus its own website, which ships nationwide. A few wire reports also named Costco and Target in their coverage of the recall. Given that the affected batch was only 154 units total, the actual footprint in any single store was small. If you bought Dark Piñon Single Serve Cups anywhere in the past year, checking your box against the lot code above is the only reliable way to know if yours is included.

What to Do If You Have the Recalled Product

If your box matches lot code 251749, here’s what the company is asking:

1. Stop using the product. Don’t brew any remaining pods from that box.
2. Check the lot code and best-by date on the bottom or side of the box against the numbers above.
3. Throw it away or return it to your place of purchase for a full refund.
4. Contact the company with questions at 505-298-1964 or customercare@nmpinoncoffee.com.

One thing worth noting: the best-by date on the affected batch was May 8, 2026, which has already passed as of this writing. Any remaining stock still sitting on a shelf somewhere would already be past its printed freshness window, on top of being part of the recall.

Is Piñon Coffee Still Safe to Buy?

Yes. This recall was narrow by design, one specific lot, one specific product line, with a clearly identified manufacturing cause that the company says it has already corrected. Nothing about it points to a broader quality problem across the brand’s regular ground coffee or other single-serve varieties.