Science was at the heart of the Cup. Tryptomics, a lab based in Longmont, Colorado, handled all the sample testing for judging. They processed hundreds of entries, including psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline cacti, and DMT-containing root bark, measuring compounds that were once illegal. Their work turned what could have been a casual contest into a real experiment in gathering data together.

Chris Pauli of Tryptomics is one of the world’s foremost authorities on elevated natural products testing, including psilocybin mushroom potency and minor alkaloid profiles, as well as mescaline and DMT containing products.

Lab testing from Tryptomics and Altitude Consulting consistently places Toque F8 “Nerds” in the “Extreme” potency category, with total alkaloid content ranging from roughly 21 mg/g in 2024 to more than 29 mg/g in 2025.

Christopher Pauli, CEO of Tryptomics, explained more about this interesting fungus to the Leaf.

“We’ve been seeing the surprising absence of 4-AcO-DMT in products for almost a year now alongside the rise of other synthesized compounds like 4-ACO-MET, DIPT, and others that do not convert into psilocin but which are becoming increasingly popular.”

According to Certificates of Analysis from the independent lab Tryptomics, three PolkaDot chocolate bar samples purchased from three different stores all tested positive for different psychoactive substances — sometimes in combination:

The 2nd annual Colorado Psychedelic Cup took place this past weekend at the Seawell Ballroom in the stunning and centrally located Denver Performing Arts Complex of downtown Denver, Colorado.

Christopher Pauli, cofounder of Tryptomics, said that the synthetic drug could be contaminated with toxic heavy metals and residual solvents. He also said some manufacturers are putting other synthetic substances in their mushroom products, such as 4-HO-MET and 4-Acetoxy-MET, which are also psychedelic.

Over the past year, Caleb King and Christopher Pauli have compiled a growing list of chemicals in various mushroom products. “People are throwing the kitchen sink into some of these and calling them a natural blend,” says King, who along with Pauli runs Tryptomics, a company that tests for psychoactive substances in natural products. The duo has examined more than 100 of these edibles — largely at the request of consumers — and has found herbal supplements, amphetamines and synthetic chemicals that are essentially spinoffs of popular hallucinogens.

Pauli said the company first became interested in testing these products when a client told him last December they had gotten sick after eating a mushroom chocolate bar. After that, Pauli said, “We did find quite a bit of chocolate bars that are either from smoke shops or different kinds of retailers that had 4-AcO-DMT.”

Christopher Pauli, CEO at Tryptomics, a lab that specializes in analyzing plants and fungi, said psilacetin is commonly found in mushroom edible products. Both psilacetin and psilocybin are converted in the body to psilocin, the chemical that is ultimately responsible for the psychoactive effects, he said.

Officials are amplifying warnings about the risks of unregulated and sometimes illegal products advertised on social media and sold online or in vape shops.