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Category: Mushroom Strains

The magic of Golden Teacher mushroom

Golden Teacher mushrooms
All about Psilocybe Cubensis Golden Teacher strain

All about Psilocybe Cubensis Golden Teacher mushrooms: potency, effects, tripping, microdosing and cultivation

Welcome to the short shroom-story about one of the most popular psilocybin mushroom strains. Here we are going to simplify the science and demystify marketing. So you are able to make the best informed choice you possibly can for cultivation, microdosing and psychedelic trips

Golden Teacher (also known as GT mushroom) is a classic strain of Psilocybe Cubensis magic mushrooms. It is one of the most famous psychedelic fungi in the world.

Scientific classification

Let's figure out the features of this strain. Traditionally take a look at the boring (but so important!) scientific classification of the Fungi Kingdom and the place of Golden Teachers in it.

GT mushroom
Psilocybe Cubensis Golden Teacher strain of magic mushrooms
  • Kingdom: Fungi
  • Division: Basidiomycota
  • Class: Agaricomycetes
  • Order: Agaricales
  • Family: Hymenogastraceae
  • Genus: Psilocybe
  • Species: Psilocybe Cubensis
  • Strain: Golden Teacher

For the latin naming system uses the following format: genus (e.g. Psilocybe) followed by species (e.g. cubensis). If you’re looking at spores and the latin names are different, then you know you have different species. Remember, as you could never cross a fly with a human, you couldn’t naturally cross Psilocybe cubensis with Psilocybe natalensis.

But strains should all originate from the same species (usually Psilocybe cubensis) and can interbreed freely.

The origin of Golden Teacher

The species was first described in 1906 as Stropharia cubensis by American mycologist Franklin Sumner Earle in Cuba island (Caribbean Sea). He assigned it to the genus Stropharia and named it Stropharia cubensis.

In 1948 the German scientist Rolf Singer in his publication in the journal "Sydowia", transferred it to the genus Psilocybe.

Golden Teacher harvest
P. Cubensis Golden Teacher mushrooms fruiting in monotub

As for the strain of Golden Teacher its exact origin is unknown. It is believed that "golden teacher" appeared in the Florida desert in the USA in the late 1980s without any claim to authorship.

Features of Golden Teachers appearance

Golden Teachers have a unique appearance with golden-yellow caps. They are brightly colored around the edges with dark orange gradient in the center of the umbrella.

Golden Teachers bottle-tek
Psilocybe Cubensis Golden Teacher mushroom fruiting in monotub


A scattering of light gold-colored flecks can be seen throughout the cap.

Main features of golden teachers
Main features of golden teachers


This is how the peculiarities of the color palette determined it to be GOLDEN.

GT mushrooms
Amazing GT mushrooms


Even after drying mushrooms perfectly preserves its golden color.

Dry GT mushroom
Dry Golden Teacher mushroom


By the time the spores mature, the cap cracks along the edge and turns a red-gray-brown color. The cap diameter is often about 3-5 cm, sometimes up to 8-10 cm.

GT strain
P. Cubensis Golden Teacher mushroom cap


Mushrooms reach a height of 5-7 cm up to 20-25 cm.

Giant golden teacher mushroom
Giant golden teacher mushroom from monoculture. Photo by mrzimm onDiscord


Size and yield depend on the flush of fruiting, grower's skills and cultivation techniques.

Big golden teacher mushroom
Big golden teacher mushroom

Why Golden Teacher is the most popular strain?

GT family
Cubensis GT mushroom family

Golden Teacher can be rightfully proclaimed the most important wizard among all P. Cubensis strains. But why?

✅ Golden Teacher is one of the earliest strains in home cultivation and is considered a veteran of amateur growing.

✅ As a result, the greatest number of grow-reports and trip-reports are related to Golden Teacher.

✅ It is traditionally believed that any newbie grower can cope with cultivation of "golden teachers" and doesn't matter which cultivation technique you'd like to use. This is true, but it doesn't mean you can neglect the elementary rules of sterility and cultivation basics. These rules are the same for all kinds and strains of mushrooms.

✅ Golden Teacher is one of the most hardy strains with a good strong genetic basis for mycological experiments.

✅ Mutants and different hybrids are created on the basis of Golden Teacher, which replenish the variety of strain collections every year. These include a group of albino mutants such as Leucistic Golden Teacher (Lucy GT), a group of popular mutants with True Albino Teacher (TAT) genetic - Yeti, Wombat, Jack Frost, Gandalf and over 30 more mutations involving the powerful genetics of Psilocybe Cubensis Golden Teacher.


We'll talk about variety and cultivation features of modern mutants in next article. Stay tuned for more updates! In the meantime, a few photos of these beauties as an example.

TAT mutant
True Albino Teacher mushrooms (TAT)
True albino teacher magic mushrooms
TAT strain of magic mushrooms
Gandalf mushroom
Cubensis Gandalf strain. Photo by 6~ʏʊƈǟ~9 on Discord
Albino leucistic GT
Albino Leucistic Golden Teacher strain

Is Golden Teacher suitable for noobs in mushroom growing

Any strain of Psilocybe Cubensis is newbie-friendly. Golden teacher is ideal for beginners with "zero" experience in mushroom cultivation.

🔴 Check out and follow: Mushroom growing guide in 20 steps

How long does it take to harvest GT mushrooms

From inoculation to the first harvest it takes about 28-35 days. GT is one of the fastest and most active strains among P. cubensis mushrooms.

How many GT mushrooms can I pick

You can get about 150-400 grams per 1 liter of substrate. It is not the most productive strain. Especially if you cultivate mushrooms with multiculture (spore syringe or liquid culture).

Advanced growers increase yields by isolating pure culture 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.

How many flushes can I get with Golden Teacher

Golden Teacher usually produces an even number of mushrooms in each of the 4-5 flushes of fruiting.

With GT, it is not always possible to get a powerful first flush (from multiculture). However, after rehydration, the 2-nd and 3-rd flushes always please beginners.

On the 4th-5th flush the yields go down just like with any other strain of P.cubensis.

What tek is the best for Golden Teacher cultivation

Any growing tek known today is perfect for GT mushrooms cultivation!

✅ PF-tek or Small mushroom cakes for growing Golden Teachers

🔴 Check out: How to make mushroom cake

GT growing. Small mushroom cake tek
Golden Teacher cultivation. Small mushroom cake tek. Photo by mrzimm - moderator Shroomok growers Community in Discord

✅ Bottle-tek for GT cultivation

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

GT growing in plastic bottle (bottle-tek)
Golden teacher cultivation in plastic bottle (bottle-tek). Photo by Slipkote - Shroomok Growers Community in Telegram
GT harvest in plastic bottle (bottle-tek)
Golden teacher harvest in plastic bottle (bottle-tek). Photo by Slipkote - Shroomok Growers Community in Telegram

✅ Monotub for cultivation Psilocybe cubensis Golden Teacher mushrooms

🔴 Check out: DIY Monotub for mushrooms

Psilocybe cubensis Golden Teacher mushrooms
Psilocybe cubensis Golden Teacher growing in monotub
Cubensis GT growing in monotube
Psilocybe cubensis golden teacher cultivation in monotub

Golden Teacher mushrooms for microdosing

Dry GT mushrooms are great to use for microdosing.

🔴 Check out: Microdosing guide

Effects and tripping with Golden Teacher mushrooms

Recommended for beginners at medium dosage (1.5-2.5 grams) who are insecure in psychedelic experience. At this dosage and with the right preparation before tripping users report about calm, relaxing experience, with soft visuals.

GT effects, potency, psychedelic trips and microdosing
Golden Teacher effects, potency, psychedelic trips and microdosing

🚀 GT potency and alkaloid concentration level: 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).

🚀 Trip entry: 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. Only copywriters and psychonauts know all about effects based on subjective feelings. So once again we turn to the "experts":

Golden Teacher take you by the hand and lead you to enlightenment. They will help you connect to your origins, to dissolve, to know the true nature of yourself.

Golden Wizards will help you heal your mind and spirit and give you the beauty of the visuals...

Golden teachers often reward their travelers with wise lessons that leave their mark even the trip is over...

Now to be true and honest.

Let me remind you, there is currently NO scientific data or studies on the difference in effects of P. cubensis strains!

All descriptions you find on the Internet are copywriter's articles, at best are subjective evaluations and experiences of psychonauts.

Each person before taking the magic mushrooms have many individual characteristics at the start: general physical development, health, emotional state, preparation, psychological traumas, fears, goals, expectations and at least different dosage.

All of the above and 1,000 other factors significantly determine the flow of a psychedelic trip.

Remember! Every psychedelic experience you have will be unique. You will never have 2 identical trips with the same strain and with the same dosage.

It will always be a totally new adventure, new experience and a new YOU!

🔴 Check out: Mushroom Consumption guides and recipes

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

Peace, Shroomok ❤️

📸 More photos in Golden Teacher photo gallery

John

I want some

Shroomok avatar Shroomok

@John, just grow some. It's easy and fun

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