Six years ago, when Whale Oil Extracts planted its first batch of Tropaya, owner Jonah Miller posted a photo of the garden, commenting that it was “really starting to throw down.” Little did he know that these plants would go on to make one of the brand’s most decorated rosin flavors.
He only picked up a single pack of these Tropicana Cookies x Papaya seeds back in 2019, Miller said, and he started hunting them a year later with his friend Pour Up Patrick. Together, they found three phenotypes, settling on No. 3 as the Whale-Up cut. According to Miller, they made selections based on a rotten-fruit funkiness, which he said gave it a distinct profile.
So far, their Whale-Up cut of Tropaya has taken home not only a 2025 Oregon Leaf Bowl award for Best Rosin, but also first place at the 2025 Oregon Dab Rite Cup, third place at the 2025 Single Source Cup, fourth place at Melting of the Heads and first place at the Terpwarz Winter Classic.
Oregon Leaf asked Miller what makes this multiple award winner such a fan favorite with judges.
“It was a banger right out the gate,” he said. “It’s fruity but with a musty funk that tells you it’s not just Papaya. That plus this weird, cheesy, funky, Tangie terp makes it something that maybe isn’t always represented in a judge’s box.”
“Also, the color is always really nice,” he continued. “Hash Club LA said it was some of the lightest hash at Legends of Hashish, even though it was full-term outdoor.”
Miller admits that sun-grown Cannabis doesn’t always make for the lightest colored rosin, but the Whale-Up cut always turns out super bright.
“It’s like a full term that is colored like a super dialed indoor,” he said.
Another factor in Whale Oil’s success with Tropaya could be the mix of fermented papaya and strawberries that Miller and his wife, Elena, feed their plants. Using Korean Natural Farming methods, crops are given a mixture of fermented sugars as an all-natural plant tonic. The Millers shared that since they’re feeding them fruit already, they like to use actual papaya as a way of adding to the experience.
In the end, according to the Millers, soil and sun are all you need.
“There’s something about that combo that’s really integral for good terps,” Miller stated. “We don’t do anything novel but hard work, and being outside seems to make for some award-winning hash.”
Miller recently started working with Growers Advocate (@thegrowersadvocate) — a group that helps gardeners by providing tips and best practices for cultivation — to reverse the Tropaya and maybe start a breeding project. This season, he’s planted a whole bunch of classics, so this next batch of Tropaya will be all there is until he’s able to plant again. Rest assured, though, he said it won’t disappear forever.
“We believe in this strain and love it so much. It’s nice to see it validated,” he said. “This Tropaya hits our palate just right; having so many other people agree is fire as fuck.”
Whale Oil Extracts logo designed by Urban Aztec
This article was originally published in the June 2026 issue of Oregon Leaf.
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