Magic mushroom strains explained. Which one is right for you?
Every magic mushroom contains psilocybin. What changes between strains is not whether you’ll have an experience, but the texture of it. This is the guide for choosing the texture you want, drawn from our 21-strain catalogue and 23,531 verified customer reviews.
The strains in our catalogue all belong to one species, Psilocybe cubensis. Within that one species sit dozens of genetic varieties, each with its own potency profile, onset speed, visual character, and emotional tone. The differences are real and worth choosing around.
Below: every dried strain we currently stock, ranked by potency, with the texture of each experience and the real customer rating each one carries.
Part 01
The full potency spectrum.
Thirteen of our 21 strains plotted by typical effective dose, from gentlest to most extreme. Mild strains on the left work at 2g and feel introspective. Extreme strains on the right work at 1g and produce profound ego dissolution. Where a strain sits matters more than its name.
What makes the difference is the concentration of two compounds:
- Psilocybin. The compound that gets metabolised into psilocin. Average cubensis sits around 0.6 to 1.2 percent psilocybin by dried weight.
- Psilocin. The active form that produces the psychedelic effects. Stronger strains contain more of both, sometimes much more.
Penis Envy runs 1.5 to 2 times more potent than Golden Teacher gram for gram. Enigma can run 3 to 5 times. That’s not marketing language, it’s chemistry. It’s also why one of the most common dosing mistakes is using the same gram weight when switching from a mild strain to a strong one. Always assume a new-to-you strain might be stronger than your usual and dose down.
For the dose-side of this conversation in depth, see our dosage guide.
Part 02
Golden Teacher, the classic.
Golden Teacher
If we could only sell one strain, this would be it. Golden Teacher is the most forgiving, most consistent, most introspective strain we carry. It earned its name from how reliably it produces the kind of insight people come to mushrooms looking for. The visual character is gentle. The emotional tone tends warm. Body load is light. The come-down is exceptionally smooth.
Two thousand customer reviews and seven years of catalogue data say this is the right first purchase for around 80 percent of buyers.
Shop Golden Teacher →Part 03
B+ and Jedi Mind Fuck, the next-step strains.
B+ Cubensis
B+ is the strain you graduate to once you know how 1.5g of Golden Teacher feels and want a step up without leaving the moderate range. Slightly stronger visuals, slightly more body energy, similar emotional warmth. The most beginner-friendly of the moderate-tier strains.
Shop B+ →Jedi Mind Fuck
Jedi Mind Fuck (JMF) hits faster than most cubensis and produces noticeably stronger visual content at moderate doses. The emotional tone tends giggly and bright rather than introspective, which makes it a good middle ground between the gentleness of Golden Teacher and the depth of Penis Envy.
Shop Jedi Mind Fuck →Part 04
Hero, Panama, and Iceberg, the less-known options.
Hero
A genetic cross of Penis Envy and Amazonian, named for its suitability at hero doses (the Terence McKenna 5-gram territory). Sustained peak, philosophical tone, slightly more body energy than pure PE. Not a starting point.
Shop Hero →Two more worth mentioning here, both with smaller review counts but distinct profiles. Panama is a moderate-potency strain with a clean, sociable profile (often recommended for second-time users who didn’t connect with Golden Teacher). Iceberg is a newer cultivar with strong reviews (★4.50) and a balanced moderate-to-strong profile, somewhere between B+ and Hero in intensity.
Choosing a strain is not about finding the strongest. It’s about matching the texture of the experience to what you came looking for.
Part 05
Penis Envy and Albino PE, the heavyweights.
Penis Envy
Penis Envy is to mushrooms what single-malt is to whisky. Concentrated, demanding, and not for casual nights. It runs 1.5 to 2 times more potent than Golden Teacher gram for gram, with a faster onset and a deeper psychedelic profile. The visuals are sharper, the emotional content is heavier, and the ego work is significantly more pronounced.
Cut your usual dose by roughly 30 percent if you’re switching to Penis Envy. One gram of PE will outwork 1.4 grams of Golden Teacher for most people.
Shop Penis Envy →Albino Penis Envy
A genetic variant of Penis Envy lacking pigmentation. The lack of pigment doesn’t reduce potency in mushrooms, it appears to slightly amplify it. Albino PE has the fastest onset of any cubensis we carry and a higher psilocybin concentration than standard PE. Cut your dose by 35 to 40 percent versus Golden Teacher.
Shop Albino PE →Part 06
Shepherds Cut PE, our highest-rated strain.
Shepherds Cut Penis Envy
A newer isolation of classic Penis Envy with the same potency profile but faster colonising and slightly cleaner emotional content. It’s currently the highest-rated dried strain in our catalogue at 4.77 stars. The “shepherds cut” name refers to the selective isolation process used to stabilise this particular phenotype.
Shop Shepherds Cut →Part 07
Enigma, the rare blob mutation.
Enigma
Enigma is a rare cubensis mutation that grows as a dense, brain-like blob rather than producing typical fruiting bodies. The “blob mutation” name comes from its appearance, but the practical relevance is psilocybin concentration: Enigma can run 3 to 5 times more potent than standard cubensis. One gram of Enigma is genuinely closer to 3 grams of Golden Teacher for most people.
Reserve for users with substantial prior experience. Cut your dose by 60 to 70 percent versus your usual Golden Teacher amount.
Shop Enigma →Part 08
The Penis Envy family, a quick tour.
Penis Envy has produced more genetic variants than any other cubensis strain in cultivation. We currently stock six of them. Here’s what differentiates each one in plain language.
- Penis Envy (standard). The original. Reference potency. ★4.50, 602 reviews.
- Albino Penis Envy. Pigmentless variant. Faster onset, slightly more potent. ★4.56.
- Shepherds Cut PE. Refined isolation. Cleanest come-down. ★4.77.
- Penis Envy 6 (PE6). Hybrid of PE and Texas cubensis. Slightly milder, more accessible. ★4.53.
- Penis Envy 7. Higher-yielding PE variant. Comparable potency to standard.
- Penis Envy XL. Larger fruiting bodies of standard PE genetics. ★4.43.
- Uncut Penis Envy. Less-isolated phenotype with more genetic variability per batch. ★4.25.
If you want to try the family without committing to a full ounce of each, the six-strain Sampler Kit includes a mix of strains across the potency spectrum.
Beyond the PE family, we also carry several albino and regional cultivars worth knowing about: Albino Treasure Coast, Albino Thai Lipa Yai, HillBilly, and Avalanche. Each runs at moderate-to-strong potency with its own profile.
Part 09
Choose by your goal.
If reading eight strain profiles felt like a lot, here’s the shortcut. Pick by what you want from the session.
- First time, want to feel safe: Golden Teacher, or the First Timer Kit.
- Social session with friends: B+ or Jedi Mind Fuck.
- Want to see the visual side properly: Jedi Mind Fuck or Hero.
- Ready for serious introspective work: Penis Envy or Albino PE.
- Veteran exploring the extreme end: Enigma or Hero.
- Want to try several without committing: The Sampler Kit.
Or browse all 21 dried strains in the catalogue. For the dose-side decisions, the dosage guide covers everything from microdose to heroic. For preparation, the first trip guide walks through set, setting, and timing.
Part 10
Common questions.
Pick your strain. We’ll ship it discreetly.
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Browse all dried strains →