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Category: Mushroom Strains

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Pink Buffalo mushrooms from Koh Samui in Thailand

Pink Buffalo by Shroomok
Pink Buffalo by Shroomok

Psilocybe Cubensis Pink Buffallo magic mushrooms: legends, cultivation, microdosing, potency and true tripping effects

It is believed in Thailand, if you see a pink buffalo it is a sign for a good day. Let's check it out and have a good day! 😉

Pink Buffalo (aka Hairy Buffalo) is a representative of Psilocybe cubensis species. It belongs to the same spectrum of effects and growing conditions as other popular cubensis such as Golden Teacher, B+ (B positive), Thai Lipa Yai KSC (Koh Samui Classic) etc.

If you are newbie at mushroom cultivation, if you are wondering about choosing a spore print, then try to make your first steps in mycology with Asian strains of Psilocybe cubensis. Pink Buffalo, in particular.

Hairy Buffalo is also a great choice for experienced growers. For those, who has already bored with Golden Teacher or who are looking for new mycological adventures.

Moreover, Pink Buffalos have pretty nice aesthetic differences we are going to discuss.

Scientific classification

Traditionally take a look at the boring (but so important!) scientific classification of the Fungi Kingdom and the place of Pink Buffalo mushroom in it

hairy buffalo magic mushrooms
P. cubensis Pink Buffalo aka Hairy Buffalo
  • Kingdom: Fungi
  • Division: Basidiomycota
  • Class: Agaricomycetes
  • Order: Agaricales
  • Family: Hymenogastraceae
  • Genus: Psilocybe
  • Species: Psilocybe Cubensis
  • Strain: Pink Buffalo or Hairy Buffalo

Now let's get to the most exciting part of the Pink Buffalo mushroom story!

Origin and legends of the Pink Buffalo mushroom

Psilocybe cubensis pink buffalo magic mushrooms story and legends
Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo magic mushroom: story and legends


One day, one man discovered and found new strain of psilocybin mushrooms in the wild jungle of Koh Samui island in Thailand. The name of this legendary explorer is John W. Allen or "Mushroom John"

Mushroom John and Pink Buffalo mushroom
John W. Allen or “Mushroom John” who discovered the Pink Buffalo mushrooms

Legend says that "Mushroom John" walking through the jungles of Koh Samui Island and came to a wild field. There he saw a huge pink buffalo which turned out to be sacred! This buffalo called John after him and pointed out the magic mushroom

Pink buffalo in Thailand
Pink buffalo in Thailand

Another legend says the strain is named after the sacred plant on Koh Samui, the buffalo carnation. However, no information could be found about this carnation flower.

How Pink Buffalo mushroom was found according to John Allen's story

How it was in reality "Mushroom John" told the true story behind the Pink Buffalo strain:

«It was the late 1990s. During one of my expeditions to Thailand, Cambodia and Burma my colleague and I were going to Phang Ka beach. We were driving on Highway 4173 (which turns into 4170) near the southwest coastline of Koh Samui island in Thailand.

Where Psilocybe Cubensis Pink Buffalo mushrooms were found in Thailand, Koh Samui island. Map according to John's Allen story
Location where pink buffalo mushrooms have been seen in the wild by John Allen

There was also a road with giant elephant sculptures.

To the right of the road were two rice paddies where alone pink buffalo was grazing. The area was fenced with barbwire and it was strange. Local Thai people don't use barbwire. But foreign immigrants (often from Australia and Germany) do.

The owner of the two rice paddies and its buffalo was an Australian man and his Thai ex-wife. This land and house in Thailand (which is owned by a woman since a foreigner has no right to be an owner of land) was a place where I found the Pink Buffalo mushroom strain, sold on the internet came from.

For me it was enough to explore the tracks of this buffalo (manure traces) in the rice paddies. And boom! Magic... magic mushroom!

Psilocybe cubensis in the wild
Wild Psilocybe cubensis in Thailand

That's how the mushroom strain was found and named. In honor of this lonely pink buffalo - Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo. Of course, this strain has changed a bit since my wild specimen was subsequently domesticated.By the way, no buffalo are sacred in Thailand. Yes, cows are sacred in India, but buffaloes are not. There are about 70 million buffalo in Thailand and one out of ten is pink. They are not rare, special or sacred. It is just believed in Thailand, if you see a pink buffalo it is a sign for a good day»

Features of Pink Buffalo appearance and cultivation

Pink Buffalo mushroom has a red-brown-gold cap, 25-75 mm in diameter

About Pink Buffalo Mushrooms
Cubensis Pink Buffalo mushrooms fruiting

By the time it opens, the cap is lighter amber, but darker than Golden Teacher's. The cap can reach 5-8 cm in diameter. The spores are purplish brown to dark brown, 11.5 – 17 x 8 – 11 µm, ellipsoid shape.

cubensis pink buffalo mushroom
Cubensis pink buffalo mushroom right after torn veil. Violet spores on the stem

Pink Buffalo have a thick powerful stem

Pink Buffalo magic mushroom
Psilocybe Cubensis Pink Buffalo magic mushroom


The largest mushrooms grow up to 15-25 cm in height (isolated culture). Such giants also can appear on the last flushes of fruiting (multispore)

Psilocybe cubensis Hairy Buffalo isolated strain. Monoculture cultivation. Huge Pink Buffalo mushroom
Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo isolated strain. Monoculture cultivation. Huge Pink Buffalo mushroom

They grow in a friendly families, in clusters of 3-7 mushrooms

Pink Buffalo magic mushrooms cultivation, small mushroom cakes
Pink Buffalo magic mushrooms cultivation, small mushroom cakes


❇️ Pink Buffalo mycelium is quick and active. Colonization period takes about 2-3 weeks.

🔴 But fruiting period may be delayed from the start. Sometimes cold shocking or blanket-tek helps with pinhead initiation.

Then the process is faster. Mushrooms break through the surface of the substrate and produce a powerful flush. Be patient with this strain, don't push slow-moving Pink Buffalo.

Is Pink Buffalo suitable for newbies in mushroom cultivation?

Any strain of Psilocybe Cubensis is newbie-friendly. Pink Buffalo is a great strain for beginners with "zero" experience in mushroom cultivation. Just follow Shroomok guide step by step.

🔴 To get started step-by-step: Mushroom Cultivation Guide

How long does it take to harvest Pink Buffalo mushrooms?

From inoculation to the first harvest it takes about 40-45 days. Pink Buffalo can be a bit slower Psilocybe cubensis mushroom in comparison with popular Golden Teacher.

How many Pink Buffalo mushrooms can I pick?

You can get about 250-500 grams per 1 liter of substrate (multiculture cultivation). It is one of the most productive strains.

You can always increase yields by isolating pure culture on agar or make a clone on agar. But this technique is not recommended for beginners. For agar manipulations you need to understand basic mycological principles and have at least one success grow-story (IMHO).

How many flushes can I get with Hairy Buffalo?

Pink Buffalo usually produces its entire mass of mushrooms during the first 3 flushes. The 4th and 5th flushes have only minor crop residues.

Growing conditions for Pink Buffalo mushrooms

Hairy Buffalo is heat-loving strain from sunny Thailand, where warm subtropic climate. It means mushrooms need conditions as close as possible to their native country.

In a hot dry season (substrate colonization) it is necessary to provide temperature about +25°..+27°С (77-81°F)

In a rainy season (fruiting period) it is necessary to provide high relative humidity (~90-99%) and decrease temperature up to +20°..+25°С (68-77°F).

What growing tek is good for Pink Buffalo mushroom?

Any cultivation tek known today is perfect for Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo mushrooms

✅ PF-tek is a old school growing-tek for all Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms and also can be used for Pink Buffalo mushrooms.

✅ Bottle-tek for cultivation Pink Buffalo mushrooms

🔴 Check out: Bottle-tek or how to grow mushrooms in plastic bottles

Mushroom cultivation in plastic bottle
Mushroom cultivation in plastic bottle aka Bottle-Tek

✅ Cubensis Pink Buffalo on small mushroom cakes or shoeboxes.

🔴 Check out: Casing & small mushroom cakes

Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo aka Hairy Buffalo
Pink Buffalo magic mushrooms fruiting - small mushroom cake tek

✅ Pink Buffalo cultivation in MonoTube

🔴 Check out: DIY Monotub for mushrooms

Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo magic mushrooms growing in monotube
Pink Buffalo magic mushrooms cultivation in modified MonoTub
Psilocybe cubensis hairy buffalo growing in monotube
Psilocybe Cubensis Pink Buffalo fruiting in modified MonoTub

Pink Buffalo mushrooms for microdosing

Dry Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo mushrooms are good to use for microdosing.

🔴 Check out: Microdosing guide

Potency, effects and tripping with Pink Buffalo mushrooms

🚀 Pink Buffalo potency: medium, as all Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms.

Average alkaloid concentration in dry mushrooms for Psilocybe cubensis: psilocybin - 0.63%, psilocin - 0.6%, beeocystin - 0.025 (Gartz, 1994).

🚀 Start of trip: fast entry in 20-30 minutes, may be accompanied by nausea for the next 20-30 minutes.

🚀 Average trip duration: 2-3 hours of deep tripping with an average dosage of 1.5-2.5g of dry mushrooms. Post effect for the next 3-4 hours.

🚀 Effects. This is the favorite part for Shroomok. Only copywriters and psychonauts know the best about effects. So let's refer to the "experts" 😄

Copywriters and experienced psychonauts claim:

Pink Buffalo mushrooms plunge you gently in a state of euphoria.

Tripping is soft, smooth and kind. Strain is suitable for those who need the rest, self healing and calm relaxation.

You feel pleasant inner peace. Shrooms lead you and help you tune into a positive vibes, feelings of beauty all around and inside you

In fact each tripping depends on:

🔶 dosage of mushrooms

🔶 your mood before tripping and at the moment of tripping

🔶 set&setting (environment, presence or absence of people, sounds, weather, smells etc.)

🔶 sitter (presence or absence, and his/her experience)

🔶 your health (metabolism, immunity, and hormonal systems)

🔶 preparation before tripping (diet, quality of sleep and rest)

🔶 your mental health, stresses, thoughts, quality of information, life style and overall life experience...

All these points influences your psychedelic experience greatly!

That's why even 10 trips with the same strain and even same dosage will be completely different! Because it's not about the cubensis strain. All Psilocybe cubensis strains genetically have the same average potency, but always vary even from one shroom on the cake to another. Such a magic!

Tripping effects is about you: response of your body and brain to psilocin! Moreover, you are different every moment of your life: your body, your health, your mental health, your stress level, combination of your feelings, emotions and life balance.

Just listen to yourself!

🔴 Check out Mushroom Consumption Guides

Join Shroomok Community on Discord and Reddit for questions and sharing experience or leave your comment below.

If you find this guide helpful, please support me with a cup of coffee on ☕️ buymeacoffee

Peace, Shroomok ❤️

📸 More photos in Pink Buffalo photo gallery

rocky stone

thanks for the info I'm cultivating this strain in combination with some golden teachers for my very first grows.This post had a lot of useful information im going to try and cold shock my tubs into pinning with some 20 hour light and some ice packs

maybe look in to that blanket thing that was mentioned

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

@rockystone Glad to help.Thanks for sharing your progress.
Good luck with your cultivation journey and amazing harvests!

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