The Dope Depot is a massive, dual facility, fully integrated company in Eugene that’s home to High Tech Farms, Red Eye Extracts, Gem Carts, Boujee Blendz, Bling, Pocket Puffer and this month’s strain showcase, Cryonic.
Cryonic is The Dope Depot’s tech-forward answer to one of the industry’s persisting issues: shelf life. Touted as “next-generation Cannabis preservation” on its website, Cryonic’s proprietary freeze-drying method aims to lock in flower potency, flavor and structure. First harvested “at peak terpene and trichome maturity,” Cryonic flower is then flash frozen at -110 degrees Fahrenheit to protect cellular structure while retaining “up to 97% of cannabinoids and terpenes,” according to The Dope Depot. Next, the flash-frozen flower finds itself in a vacuum sublimation process, which removes moisture without melting it first. The final product is stabilized at 8% to 12% moisture content for storage or processing, which, in theory, halts microbial growth and degradation. According to the Cryonic team, this supplies shelf stability for over a year.
To test this theory, we cracked open two jars of flower, with one packaged and sealed up almost two years prior. The 2-year-old flower held a surprisingly similar amount of smell with an almost indistinguishable smoking experience from the newer batch.
Diving deeper into the research, we selected a cultivar to consume. Thai Stix (not to be confused with the storied skewered buds of the past) offers its own take on the Cryonic experience. The color runs pale, and the buds break down fluffy. While the flower may feel featherweight, it stacks up in size, boasting purple-gray-flecked nugs nearly the size of your palm. Crack one open and you’ll find a drier texture than you may be used to (due to the precise moisture control of Cryonic’s process), but it smokes smooth without any of the scratchiness in the back of your throat that overly air-dried bud can bring.
Cryonic is keeping jars fresh and fueling the Cannabis tech conversation. By borrowing freeze-drying tricks from the pharmaceutical playbook, The Dope Depot is stepping up to integrate innovation that serves the smoker. If flower can sit sealed for two years and still spark up smoothly, imagine what that means for dispensary shelves, home stashes and the farmers fighting the clock on every harvest. Cryonic’s process doesn’t just stretch shelf life; it stretches the imagination of what Cannabis preservation could look like moving forward.
thedopedepot.net | @its.the.dope.depot
This article was originally published in the October 2025 issue of Oregon Leaf.
View our archive on issuu.
