Route planner Strength ladder
How Hollandia compares with milder truffles, the strength ladder
Where Hollandia sits among the truffles in the Avalon range, from mild Mexicana to Valhalla, and which one to choose for a first, second or experienced trip.
Hollandia sits near the top of the strength ladder. Avalon Magic Plants places it among its strongest truffles, estimates it at about twice the active substances of Atlantis, and ranks only a few house strains, such as Valhalla, above it. Mexicana, Pajaritos and Tampanensis sit at the bottom of the ladder, Atlantis in the middle.
The ladder on this page follows the shop's own descriptions. Those are classifications based on the grower's information and customer feedback, not batch-by-batch laboratory tests, so read them as an order of height, not as exact measurements. All magic truffles contain the same active substances, psilocybin and psilocin; DRUGSinfo notes that the strains differ mainly in strength (DRUGSinfo).
The ladder, from base to summit
| Height | Truffle | How the shop describes it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexicana A | Mild to medium strength, suited to people trying truffles for the first time |
| 2 | Pajaritos | Between Mexicana and Tampanensis, a light and social truffle |
| 3 | Tampanensis | Medium strength; 5 to 9 g for a mild trip, 10 to 15 g for a strong one |
| 4 | Atlantis | Mid-range, clear effects that are easier to steer than Hollandia |
| 5 | Dragon | Strong; 7.5 g for beginners, 15 g for experienced users |
| 6 | Hollandia | Among the strongest, about twice Atlantis; 7.5 g to start, 15 g for experienced users |
| 7 | Valhalla | A step above Hollandia and Dragon, for people who know strong truffles well |
The shop also places several other house strains in the strong band, among them Utopia, Space Invaders and High Hawaiians. Their product pages give their own dose advice.
Why the height matters more than the name
Natural truffles vary. In a published laboratory measurement of Psilocybe sclerotia, psilocybin ranged from 0.59 to 1.68 milligrams per gram of fresh truffle, almost a threefold spread between samples (Pellegrini et al., 2013). A strong strain on a light day and a mild strain on a heavy day can end up closer together than the ladder suggests. The ladder still helps: it tells you which direction you are moving in when you switch.
The other variables that change the height of the same truffle are well known: an empty stomach, tea instead of chewing, how fresh the pack is, and recent use of psilocybin or LSD. See before you go for those.
Which one to choose
| You are | A sensible choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New to truffles | Mexicana or Pajaritos, part of a pack | Learn how your body reacts with less at stake |
| Had one or two mild trips | Atlantis or Tampanensis, 5 to 9 g | A clear step up that is still easy to steer |
| Know Atlantis well | Hollandia, 7.5 g | A strong trip at half a pack, with a sitter |
| Know Hollandia at half a pack | Hollandia, 15 g | The full route, with a sitter and a free next day |
| Experienced with strong truffles | Valhalla, starting at 5 to 7 g as the shop advises | The top of the range |
Step up one rung at a time and leave a few weeks between trips. Going from Mexicana straight to a full pack of Hollandia skips most of the ladder at once, which is how many hard trips start.
Base of the ladder: first trips
Magic Truffles
(1+1) Mexicana A - Magic Truffles
View at Avalon
Magic Truffles
Pajaritos - Magic Truffles
View at Avalon
Middle of the ladder: Atlantis
Top of the ladder: Hollandia and above
Magic Truffles
Hollandia - Magic Truffles
View at Avalon
Magic Truffles
Valhalla Magic Truffles - 15 grams
View at Avalon
Hollandia also comes as a two-pack of 30 grams. That is two separate trips at most, never one. Keep the second pack in the fridge, where Avalon says fresh truffles keep for up to a month at 2 to 4 °C.
Truffles are sold for use during a stay in the Netherlands. Read where this route is legal before you order.