What is the best strain of shrooms?

Let’s explore five of the most popular Cubensis strains: B+, Penis Envy, Cambodian, Golden Teacher, and Tidal Wave. 

When you’re just starting to grow your own mushrooms, picking a specific strain can often feel overwhelming. After all, there are so many options. There are so many weird names that come out but it’s hard to make sense of all the different aspects and specifics.

What are different strains of shrooms?

There are over 200 species of psychedelic mushrooms. Just psychedelic mushrooms, not including functional mushrooms in general! The most common strains come from the species Cubensis. Cubensis is one of the most popular species and the easiest to grow. 

Strains are like dog breeds. All domesticated dogs are the same species. However, a Great Dane is a very different dog than a Chihuahua. Same species, but there’s a huge difference between the actual felt experience, how they grow, and other features. 

What are B+ shrooms like?

The first strain that we’re going to talk about is B+. B+ is an extremely popular strain that is thought to have been developed intentionally by a cultivator 30 years ago. Some people suspect that B+ is a hybrid between Psilocybe Cubensis and Psilocybe Azurescens. Azurescens is the species with the highest psilocybin content! The mushrooms for B+ are relatively large and the spores are quick to germinate. The strain is relatively easy to grow and produces a really big first flush, but then smaller flushes after that really big first flush. 

The experience of B+ shrooms has a balance of visual, emotional, and somatic physical body sensations. It can sometimes feel intense but oftentimes there’s less nausea with B+ compared to other strains. 

What is a Penis Envy shroom trip like?

The second strain is a strain called Penis Envy. It’s a different shape than most of the other strains because the stem is really really thick. It’s more difficult to grow than other strains and it’s more vulnerable to contamination. The payoff of this difficulty is that it is a very, very potent strain. 

The experience has a very fast onset, and it has sort of a wavy aspect to it in terms of the visuals rather than being the typical geometric visuals with psilocybin. There’s a very small body load compared to other strains and a trip with Penis Envy feels clean overall. 

What are Cambodian mushrooms?

The third strain is Cambodian. Cambodian was found initially near Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It’s very popular because it grows very fast. The fruit comes up quickly, abundantly and repeatedly. It does need slightly warmer conditions than other strains, and it has a high degree of potency. 

It’s not as visual as other strains of shrooms. In a Cambodian trip, there’s lots of energy and it stimulates a creative or philosophical mindset. 

What are Golden Teacher shrooms like?

The next strain is Golden Teacher. Golden Teacher is one of the most popular and common strains that are known. The strain has a very large mushroom and is believed to have been found in the wild 30 or 40 years ago and then cultivated. It’s quite popular with beginner growers because Golden Teacher shrooms are more tolerant of less than ideal growing conditions. It produces a very large crop and sometimes takes longer to fruit. 

It has a slightly above average potency, and the trip can be a little shorter than other strains. People report euphoric but overall relaxing experiences and a certain degree of mental clarity when working with Golden Teacher. 

What are Tidal Wave trips like?

The final strain that we’re going to talk about is Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave is a cross between Penis Envy and B+, so it is a very strong strain. In fact, it currently holds the title for the world’s strongest Psilocybe Cubensis mushroom. It grows fast. 

The experience is similar to Penis Envy, and it has strong visuals with an intense euphoria that comes with a certain sense of mental clarity. It produces feel-good sensations in the body and many users find Tidal Wave mushrooms helpful for getting out of a rut and helping to balance overall. 

Will my trip really be different on different strains of shrooms?

You may have heard the term, “a cube is a cube” which means that any type of Psilocybe Cubensis mushroom will have the same effect on your body and mind. People who say this expression believe that the difference in trips comes from set and setting and has nothing to do with the actual mushroom. However, different strains of mushrooms could have different effects based on potentially the different compounds that are inside of them through something called the entourage effect. 

The level of psilocybin can vary wildly between different strains, but not only between different strains, also between different mushrooms of the same species, or even between different parts of the mushroom. It depends on where the mushroom was harvested or what substrate the mushroom was growing on. A million different things can change the level of psilocybin content in the mushroom which can obviously have an effect on the effects of that mushroom.