Piñata Apples at Trader Joe's

In this newsletter, I am talking about the Piñata apples that I picked up at Trader Joe's this past week.

Mar 31, 2025

This past week, I finally got to go back into a Trader Joe’s for the first time since September. It’s definitely a store I like to shop at more frequently than that, but I haven’t been able to make it work.

By this time of year, especially as we head into April, I start to get a little bored with the same apples in the grocery store. Lately, we have mainly been buying Cosmic Crisp, simply because you can’t beat the 99 cents per pound price that I’ve been getting most of the time. I also got some good Evercrisp apples this month.

What I haven’t had all season yet is the Piñata apple. I don’t see them at every store I go into, but Trader Joe’s is a place that’s good about stocking them. For me, Piñata can be hit or miss. When it’s a good one, it can be a flavorful apple that is a lot more interesting than other varieties available. Oftentimes, I end up with some that are less than interesting.

Piñata has Cox’s Orange Pippin in its lineage, which is a flavorful apple that is very popular in the UK. That is what gives this apple its flavor potential. If these were more consistent, I would probably rank them higher and seek them out more often. I felt the bag I got had a mix of some good ones and some that were not very flavorful, but none that I would call bad or mealy. The texture was softer than the Cosmic Crisp I’ve had lately, but not enough to be a concern to me.

Have you had the Piñata apple before? Answer our poll below and then leave a comment telling me what you think of the variety. The name Piñata is registered by Stemilt Growers out of Washington. Other places you may find it under the name “Pinova.” I have come across a few orchards in the Midwest that grow it.

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If you are interested in learning more about the best apples to buy at each grocery store, check out this page. The guides are available for our premium subscribers.