For a first session with Pajaritos, start with 5 to 7 grams of fresh truffle, about a third to half of the 15 gram pack. Take it on an empty stomach, in a place you know, with a sober friend nearby and a free day after. Expect the first effects after 30 to 60 minutes and a session of 4 to 6 hours. Do not take more during the first two hours, however little you feel.
Amounts in grams
There is no measured dose for Pajaritos. The amounts below combine two things: the shop's grading of Pajaritos as milder than Tampanensis and Atlantis, and Avalon's advice for those two neighbours, which is 5 to 9 grams for a mild trip and 10 to 15 grams for a strong one. Because Pajaritos sit a step lower, the same grams usually land a little lighter.
| Fresh Pajaritos | What people describe | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 4 g | brighter colours, a lighter or giggly mood, little else | testing how you react |
| 5 to 7 g | clear changes in seeing and thinking, light patterns, time slows | a first full session |
| 8 to 11 g | stronger visuals, harder to follow a conversation, waves of emotion | people who know Pajaritos |
| 12 to 15 g | the whole pack: intense and hard to steer | experienced users, with a sitter |
These are guidelines for a session during a stay in the Netherlands. Potency varies between batches, and between people. Weigh your portion on a small scale; guessing a third of a bag of irregular lumps does not work.
Fresh truffles
Pajaritos - Magic Truffles
€14.95
Avalon Magic Plants
Scales · 1 g
Boston 500 x 0.1g
€9.95
Avalon Magic Plants
How to take them
Avalon advises taking Pajaritos on an empty stomach. You can chew the truffles, or chop them finely and steep them in hot water as tea, which many people find easier on the stomach. Chew well if you eat them; whole lumps arrive slowly and unevenly.
Put the rest of the pack back in the fridge before you start, out of sight. Deciding in advance that you will not take more is easier than deciding at minute fifty.
The hours, roughly
The Jellinek, the Amsterdam addiction care organisation, describes the course of a truffle session: effects start 30 to 60 minutes after taking them, the trip comes in waves, the most intense part is in the first two hours, and after 4 to 6 hours it has worn off (Jellinek). The Trimbos Institute gives 20 to 60 minutes for the start (DRUGSinfo).
| Time after taking | What is typical |
|---|---|
| 0 to 30 min | nothing, or a vague restlessness; some people feel queasy |
| 30 to 60 min | colours deepen, sounds stand out, a giggly or uneasy start |
| 1 to 2.5 h | the peak: patterns, slowed time, thoughts that wander |
| 2.5 to 4 h | the waves become further apart, conversation gets easier |
| 4 to 6 h | back to baseline, tired, often hungry |
Physical effects listed by the Trimbos Institute and the Jellinek include large pupils, relaxed muscles, nausea, headache and changes in heart rate and blood pressure. The shop describes the Pajaritos trip as light and cheerful, with patterns and "pleasant distortion of the environment". How a session goes also depends on your mood and the place you are in.
Set, setting and company
- A familiar, calm place. A home or a quiet garden works better than a busy street or a club. Avalon advises "a safe, familiar environment where you feel comfortable".
- A sober friend. The shop advises having one nearby, "especially if this is your first time". In a group, one person stays sober.
- A free day. No work, no plans, nothing you must sign or decide. You may feel tired the next day.
- No vehicle. Driving, and in the Netherlands cycling too, is illegal under influence (see the law).
- Water, a light snack for later, music you know. A blanket. Your phone charged.
If a moment gets difficult, change something small: another room, fresh air, different music, lie down. Difficult phases pass. If someone is in danger, call 112. The Dutch Drugs Infolijn of the Trimbos Institute answers questions on 0900 1995.
Who should skip truffles
- People with a personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Research teams exclude them from psilocybin studies for that reason (Johnson et al., 2008).
- Anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Anyone using lithium. In 62 published reports of people combining lithium with a psychedelic, 47 percent described a seizure (Nayak et al., 2021).
- Anyone on antidepressants: speak to a doctor first and never stop prescribed medicine to take truffles. Users of SSRI and SNRI antidepressants report weaker effects, also for months after stopping (Gukasyan et al., 2023); taking more to make up for it is a bad idea.
- Anyone under 18. Avalon sells only to adults.
Avalon also advises against combining truffles with alcohol, other substances or medication.
A first evening, composite
This account is a composite, put together from recurring patterns in published first-time truffle reports and the harm reduction sources on this page. It is not the experience of one person.
Two friends in a rented apartment in Amsterdam, a third who stays sober. They split one pack of Pajaritos on a kitchen scale: 6 grams each, the rest back in the fridge. They chew the truffles at seven in the evening, four hours after a light lunch. The taste is bitter, like old walnuts.
At half past seven one of them feels a slight queasiness and some restlessness; the other feels nothing and wants to take more. The sober friend reminds them of the agreement. By eight the wooden floor seems to breathe slightly and the lamp has a halo. Laughter comes easily, about nothing in particular.
Between eight and half past nine the effects are at their strongest. Music becomes very detailed, a conversation loses its thread three times, and one of them sits quietly on the balcony for twenty minutes, feeling small under the sky but not unhappy. Around ten the waves become gentler and they start talking about what they noticed. By midnight they are hungry and tired. The next morning both say the amount was right for a first time, and that they were glad the second portion stayed in the fridge.