Hale Mix

Hale Mix is a bag of salted pumpkin and sunflower seeds infused with 50 mg of THC. Hale, which is defined as strong and healthy on the packaging, provides an option for the health conscious consumer. Apart from cannabis distillate, the mixture only has four ingredients: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, clarified butter, and salt.

Appearance 5/5
Hale Mix comes in a resealable brown paper bag, with a green and black label. The packaging has an earthy aesthetic, which helps it appeal to health conscious consumers. The bag contains about 2/3 cup of mixed sunflower seeds and green pumpkin seeds. According to the bag, one serving of one TBSP contains 5 mg of THC. The sunflower seeds are quite large, and there are more sunflower than pumpkin seeds. They are slightly dusted in coarse pink salt.

Aroma 3/5
There is no noticeable cannabis scent in the Hale Mix. In fact, the mix has very little scent at all. It does not have the overpowering salty smell of seeds bought in the grocery store, since the seeds are not heavily salted. The only real aroma is the slight earthy smell of sunflower seeds, and the nutty scent of pumpkin seeds, which reflects how natural and wholesome this product is.

Taste 4/5
When I first tasted the seeds, I was shocked by the lack of cannabis flavor. There wasn’t a hint of it! They tasted exactly like your seeds at the grocery store. This makes them perfect to mix in with granola, or toss in salads. Even though the seeds don’t have any noticeable cannabis flavor, the pink Hymalayan salt, when tried on its own, tastes strongly of cannabis. The Hale Mix is a delicious, healthy snack that is very easy to eat.

Effect 5/5
Rather than eating one serving and waiting to see how I felt, I poured the seeds into a bowl and snacked on them all evening. As a regular cannabis user, with a moderately high tolerance, this gave me a steady high for about six hours. I felt the effects almost immediately. The Hale Mix, which uses a sativa dominant cannabis distillate, gave me a body high that made my muscles feel soft without becoming lethargic.

Product price: $19.19 for 50mg

The Hale Mix is perfect for someone who wants to avoid the flavor and scent of cannabis in their edibles. It is good for newcomers and experienced users alike, since the consumer can portion out their own helping, from just a pinch of seeds to the whole bag. It is good for consumers who enjoy edibles, but are looking to avoid sugar. It is a natural, gluten-free product.

I was impressed with the Hale Mix. The high was pleasant and energizing, while making my muscles feel relaxed. The effects were noticeable sooner than with most edibles, and the flavor was enjoyable. I liked snacking on these seeds, rather than consuming them all in one sitting. As the only non-candy edible currently available at Sunnyside Lakeview, I was impressed with their quality and effects. I would purchase the Hale Mix again in the future.

Address: 3812 N Clark Street
Phone number: (773) 820-7280
Hours:
Monday: 10am – 7pm
Tuesday : 10am – 7pm
Wednesday : 10am – 7pm
Thursday :10am – 7pm
Friday : 10am – 7pm
Saturday: 10am – 7pm
Sunday: 10am – 7pm

This was my second visit to Sunnyside Lakeview. After waiting five hours during opening week, I decided to arrive an hour before opening on this visit. The security guard instructed me to wait inside Aureniano’s Restaurant across the street, where an employee handed me a form to write down my order based on the menu found on their website.

When I was in line, another employee announced that due to high demand, the only flower they had in stock was Harlequin, a CBD dominant strain. She also said customers could choose only one item from each menu category (i.e. one edible, one vape cart, one resin, etc.).
Another customer asked how long it would take for Sunnyside to get more variety of flower, and remove the category restrictions. She admitted that she did not know, but they are doing the best they can to meet the public’s demand.

At 10:00 AM, a security guard escorted the first group of customers to the store. 20 minutes later, he brought over my group. Once I was inside, I got at the end of the line in the bright orange room, watching two budtenders check order forms, and get the product out from the wall of white lockers behind them. The line moved quickly and efficiently. Shortly, I was back on Clark Street, with my purchase of a gram of Harlequin, and a bag of Hale Mix in a bright orange Sunnyside bag. The overall experience took about two hours.

After three weeks as an adult-use dispensary, a trip to Sunnyside Lakeview still feels like Black Friday: arriving early, giddy with anticipation, waiting in line, only to find they ran out of the product you came for. However, the staff has developed a more efficient system of taking orders, and has become better at communicating the wait times, shortages, and purchase limitations with the community. I, like most of the customers, are just happy they are open for adult-use to the public.