Start with half a pack. Avalon Magic Plants advises 7.5 grams of fresh Hollandia for anyone taking this strain for the first time and up to 15 grams, a full pack, for experienced users. If you have never taken any truffles, take less than 7.5 grams or choose a milder strain for your first session.
With a strong strain, the cost of overestimating your tolerance is higher than the cost of a session that turns out lighter than hoped. A light session is still a complete experience. An overwhelming one is hard to undo once it has started.
Doses at a glance
| Fresh Hollandia | What to expect | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 g | Brighter colours, lifted or restless mood, mild visual changes | Testing your reaction to this strain |
| 6 to 8 g | Clear visual effects, altered thinking, strong emotions possible | People who know how truffles affect them |
| 9 to 12 g | Intense visuals, loss of sense of time, hard to steer | Experienced users, with a sober sitter |
| 13 to 15 g | Very strong; sense of self can dissolve completely | Only very experienced users, with a sitter |
These ranges combine the shop's advice with what users consistently report. They are not measured doses: potency varies between packs (see strength), and so do people. A heavier person usually needs a little more for the same effect.
Stepping up from a milder strain
Most difficult first sessions with a strong strain follow the same pattern: a new strain and a bigger dose at the same time. Change one thing per session.
- From Mexicana or Pajaritos. Your usual dose of a mild truffle does not translate to Hollandia. Start at 4 to 5 grams of Hollandia.
- From Atlantis. If 10 grams of Atlantis gave you a clear trip, start around 5 to 6 grams of Hollandia. Avalon estimates Hollandia at about twice the strength of Atlantis, but that figure is not measured.
- From mushrooms or other psychedelics. Experience helps, but grams of dried mushrooms or other substances do not convert into grams of fresh truffles. Start at half a pack or below.
Weigh the portion on a kitchen scale. Eyeballing a third or half of a pack of irregular lumps is unreliable.
How to take them
Eating them. Chew well and swallow, ideally on an empty stomach or three to four hours after a light meal. The taste is bitter and nutty. Chewing thoroughly helps the effects arrive more evenly.
As tea. Chop the truffles finely, pour over hot water, let it steep for about 15 minutes and strain. Avalon describes this method for Hollandia. Many people find tea easier on the stomach, and the effects usually begin sooner.
With lemon. Some people soak chopped truffles in lemon juice for about 20 minutes before eating them. Users report a faster and more intense onset. There is no good research on it; if you try it, take less than you otherwise would.
With a strong strain, tea and lemon make the rise steeper. That is not what most people need on their first Hollandia session.
Never re-dose early
The most common mistake with truffles is impatience. Nothing seems to happen for 45 minutes, so a second portion goes in, and then both arrive at once. With Hollandia that can turn a strong dose into an overwhelming one.
Wait at least 90 minutes before even considering more, and better still, decide before you start that you will not take more that day. Put the rest of the pack back in the fridge, out of sight.
Tolerance and spacing sessions
Tolerance to psilocybin builds within days, and there is cross-tolerance with LSD (Isbell et al., 1961). The same dose taken a few days after a session works noticeably weaker. Most experienced users leave at least one to two weeks between sessions. If you take Hollandia after a long break, do not assume your old dose still fits.
SSRI and SNRI antidepressants often weaken the effects, also for months after stopping (Gukasyan et al., 2023). Do not compensate by taking much more, and never stop prescribed medication to take truffles.
Microdosing a strong strain
A strong strain is a poor choice for microdosing, because small pieces of a potent truffle are hard to portion consistently. The largest placebo-controlled study on microdosing, with 191 participants, found no meaningful difference between psychedelic microdoses and placebo after four weeks (Szigeti et al., 2021).
Pack sizes
A single pack is enough for one strong or two moderate sessions. The duo pack suits two people, or two sessions some weeks apart within the shelf life of fresh truffles. Before you start, read set and setting and safety.