A steaming mug of coffee is most Americans’ morning highlight—but now, a new recall has potentially made that morning routine something to fear. One of New Mexico’s most popular coffee companies, New Mexico Piñon Coffee, is recalling across the country one of its best-selling single-serve items due to a serious packaging flaw that would lead to contamination with ink during brewing.
The recall is a voluntary measure that affects a single lot of the Dark Piñon Single Serve Cups, which are used in Keurig-style coffee makers. The company, along with an official announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stated the label material employed on the pods did not function as intended, permitting food-grade ink—generally safe under normal conditions—to percolate into the coffee that was brewed when subjected to high heat and water pressure.
A defect in the packaging rings the alarm
What started out as appearing as a minuscule manufacturing defect—but quite hazardous — was the clear seal at the top of the pod, a critical seal designed to seal out contaminants and maintain the product’s freshness. It was not properly applied to all units in the troubled batch of production. The seal was inadequate and allowed the bottom surface ink of the lid to bleed when it was exposed to the hot-temperature, high-pressure environment that is present inside a Keurig-type coffee machine.
The ink is “food-safe” certified, meaning it’s not designed to be unhealthy under standard packaging conditions. But it was never meant to be in your coffee cup. The hot water extracts over the coffee and around the rim when brewing. In the tainted batch, the ink can leach into the liquid and create a taste-fouling—possibly hazardous—finished product.
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How the company found out about the problem
New Mexico Piñon Coffee, a decades-old institution of Southwestern resilience and dedication on the part of its patrons, apparently found out about the problem internally through quality control. Once apprised of the problem, the company acted swiftly to report it to the FDA and to voluntarily recall the tainted products. In the public release, the company admitted that during this run, the glue used to hold the lid on did not adhere properly in some cases, and water entered between the seal and the ink layer.
Rather than wait for side effect reports to pour in, the company acted. To date, no one has reported falling ill or suffering injury from the contaminated pods, and the company is working with government regulators and retailers to remove the product from store shelves and inform consumers.
What products are affected?
The recall is for one lot of New Mexico Piñon Coffee Dark Piñon Single Serve 10ct coffee cups. The below are the precise identifiers that shoppers must be mindful of:
- Product Name: New Mexico Piñon Coffee Dark Piñon Single Serve 10ct Cups
- Lot Code: 251749
- Best By Date: 05/08/2026
- Product Number: F03308
- UPC Code: 812361033081
If you also have the same product at home, stop using it. The company wants consumers to throw away the pods and call them for a refund or exchange.
What can you do if you bought the recalled coffee?
New Mexico Piñon Coffee is requesting customers to closely examine their packaging. The lot code and best by date will appear on the side or bottom of the coffee pod package. If you find a match for the affected batch, the company is requesting that you not consume the product—even if everything appears visibly normal with the pods or if they are not yet showing symptoms of ink leakage.
The firm has a recall assistance line that helps consumers with exchanges or refunds. You may also contact their customer support department by mail or through their website, where they publish a full recall notice along with instructions and a form that you can fill.
Why is ink in coffee a big deal?
Although the ink in such pods is food-grade, that ranking only applies as long as the ink remains where it’s meant to — on the outside of packages or in those labels, never touching the food or drink. Ink ingestion—otherwise innocuous in small amounts — is not recommended, especially where one has no way of knowing how heat and brewing conditions have reconstituted its chemical makeup.
Physicians warn that certain inks become toxic when subjected to heat or swallowed in large quantities and can cause gastrointestinal distress, allergic reactions, or other untoward medical effects depending upon the recipe. The risk is higher for those with chemical sensitivities or compromised immune systems.
A blow to the brand’s reputation
New Mexico Piñon Coffee has been a staple on Southwest and even non-Southwest tables for decades, and its combination of Arabica coffee and roasted piñon nuts has managed to make it one of the best. So the fact that there is a recall, even a small one, tarnishes its otherwise clean record.
The firm has taken it upon itself to review its packing and quality control to ensure that kind of debacle would never occur again. It’s also going the extra mile to gain the trust of its customers by being transparent in its communication and generous in its refund policies.
Will other products be affected?
Up to this point, the recall is confined to one batch of a single product. The firm has stated there is no sign of a broader issue on its other coffee product lines, including ground packs, whole beans, and other single-serve coffee.
The FDA continues to monitor the situation closely, but there have been no additional recalls to date. Consumers are advised to keep New Mexico Piñon Coffee, along with the FDA’s official recall database, on their radar in the future.
A wake-up call for the coffee industry
This incident is also a reminder that even minor manufacturing defects — such as a lid that hasn’t been closed properly — can have far-reaching implications within the realm of food safety. With single-serve coffee machines gaining popularity, so does the onus on companies to ensure that all aspects of their product are resilient enough to withstand the particular brewing conditions within pressure-cooker-type appliances such as Keurigs.
Whether it’s simply ink in a pod, plastic in a container, or glue on a label, every little bit matters — particularly when it will be boiled in close to scalding water inches from your own face.
