Truth: I’m primarily a flower guy, with the occasional foray into rosin and old-school hash. This isn't to say I’m anti-hydrocarbon-based extracts, but I don't dab on the daily, or even weekly. But if I did, I would include the product line of concentrates from the forward-looking folks at Bend-based Lunchbox Alchemy.

Having gained prominence in Oregon’s cannabis industry for their 100-milligram THC and CBD “Squib” edibles (of which I have never eaten too many in one sitting, odd you would ask), they’ve made a move into the extracts field with shatter and live resin, in the most innovative packaging I’ve seen for concentrates.

It’s a fine product, but don’t take the word of Mr. Dainty Dabs here—Lunchbox's Lemon Piña Live Resin won both first and second place at the 2017 Oregon Dope Cup, with their Green Ribbon shatter taking Best Runner Up, and first place in the 2016 Oregon Dope Cup.

The offerings are part of their new “Lunchbox Alliance,” which pairs Lunchbox with some of Oregon’s top sun-grown flower producers, starting with Phantom Farms, who produce Clean Green Organic flower grown in the ground under the sun, resulting in amazing cannabis rich with terpenes.

Terpenes were what the Alliance wanted to focus on, so they went through some extraordinary lengths to make their live resin, driving a U-Haul to the grow site, and cryogenically freezing colas on site, in the fields, in liquid nitrogen, much as Walt Disney had done with his head. The frozen flower was immediately driven to Lunchbox for processing, resulting in a live resin with 70.75 percent THC and more than 8 percent terpenes. Their shatter also tests high in THC and terpenes, and comes in three tiers Labels: Red (budget entry level), Blue (premium level), and Gold (baller level top shelf.)

Their packaging is next level: biodegradable inks, recycled paper, and a clear window for product viewing, made from a compostable material. The THC, cannabinoid, and terpene content are clearly listed in equal-sized font on the front, a choice that will help educate and motivate consumers and patients to give equal weight to terpenes as they do THC. Further supporting that mission is a website that shows extensive testing results for each product, including a full terpene list, which would be too lengthy for package inclusion. The more you know…(shooting star emoji here).

I tried the Green Ribbon shatter and the Lemon Piña live resin, using an Herbalizer vaporizer set at 390 to 410 degrees Fahrenheit. The shatter was clean and tasty, but the citrus flavors of the Lemon Pina were a flavor revelation. And both got me high, so there’s that.

It’s heartening to see two things the Oregon cannabis industry needs—collaborations, and easy access to comprehensive, transparent information about the products.