Glossary map / Choosing truffles
What mild, moderate, strong and very strong mean on a magic truffle pack, how Dutch-Smart ranks its truffles, and which to choose for a stay in the Netherlands.
Dutch smartshops sort their truffles on a simple scale from mild to very strong. The scale is the shop's own ranking of its strains, based on experience with them; it is no laboratory measurement. Read it as a ladder: start at the bottom, and only move up once you know how a milder truffle affects you.
Everything on this page is for adults during a stay in the Netherlands, where fresh truffles are legal. Do not take truffles across a border. The descriptions quoted below are Dutch-Smart's own, as they appear on its product pages on 14 October 2026.
The word a shop puts on a truffle to say how intense it is compared with its other truffles. Dutch-Smart uses five steps: mild, mild to moderate, moderate to strong, strong and very strong. Measured content varies from batch to batch, which is why a label describes a strain's usual character and not an exact amount (Pellegrini et al. 2013).
The bottom of the scale. Dutch-Smart describes Mexicana as "the most accessible entry-level strain in the selection", with "mild, uplifting effects with virtually no visual effects at a normal dose". Each pack holds 15 grams of fresh Psilocybe mexicana sclerotia, and the shop sells it as a buy one, get one free offer.
One step up. Pajaritos is "slightly stronger than standard Mexicana", "cheerful and warm in character, with mild visual effects". Tampanensis is "suitable as an entry-level strain for new users", described as "thought-provoking and reflective" and sold under the old name philosopher's stones.
Fresh truffles, for the Netherlands
Pajaritos Magic Truffles
View at Dutch-Smart
Fresh truffles, for the Netherlands
Tampanensis Magic Truffles
View at Dutch-Smart
The middle of the range. Atlantis is "significantly stronger than Mexicana or Pajaritos" and "less intense than strains like Hollandia, Space Invaders, or Double Vision". The shop describes the experience as balanced between visual and mental effects and advises against it as an absolute first introduction.
For people who already know how truffles affect them. Utopia has "higher potency than standard Atlantis"; Space Invaders is "not a beginner's truffle at a full dose"; Double Vision comes in a 25 gram pack meant for two people. Dutch-Smart places all three in its higher potency class.
The top of the scale. Hollandia is "one of the strongest truffle varieties in our range" and "not suitable as a first introduction to truffles", according to the shop, which also advises using it only when you feel well, mentally and physically.
A truffle the shop recommends for a first time: on Dutch-Smart's scale, Mexicana, Pajaritos and Tampanensis. The Atlantis and Utopia pages point new users to Mexicana or Pajaritos as a better starting point.
| If you are | Start with | Shop label |
|---|---|---|
| New to truffles | Mexicana | mild |
| Experienced with Mexicana | Pajaritos or Tampanensis | mild to moderate |
| Familiar with the milder strains | Atlantis | moderate to strong |
| Experienced, in a calm setting with a sitter | Utopia, Space Invaders or Double Vision | strong |
The advice, repeated on Dutch-Smart's pages for the stronger truffles, to take less than you think you need the first time you try a strain, even if you know other strains, and not to top up during the experience. Onset can take up to an hour, and a second portion taken in that time adds to the first.
A reagent test that shows by colour change whether a sample reacts like a given substance. The Dope or Nope psilocybin test works with a colour chart on the back of the pack. Dutch-Smart notes its limits plainly: a match "does not mean the substance is 'pure'", and the test "does not indicate how much of the active substance is present". It is most useful for material whose origin you cannot check.
A kit that produces sclerotia instead of mushrooms. Dutch-Smart says the truffles can be harvested after four weeks, and that leaving them to mature longer, up to 20 weeks, can increase their potency. Because truffles fall outside the Opium Act, growing them is legal in the Netherlands. Kits are sold for Atlantis, Mexicana, Pajaritos, Tampanensis and other strains, each as a buy one, get one free offer.
Grow kit, for the Netherlands
Atlantis Magic Truffle Grow Kit: Buy 1, Get 1 Free
View at Dutch-Smart
Go back to the glossary map to explore the terms around these products.
