Golden Teacher Spores: Syringes, Prints & Isolates

Golden Teacher is the classic named Psilocybe cubensis, in circulation since the 1980s and still the most widely sold strain. The name is usually explained by the golden cap, and the origin is unclear: a Florida collection is often mentioned, but no documented source exists. It has been reproduced from multispore prints for decades, so there are many slightly different lines sold under the one name.

For a beginner at the microscope it is a sensible first choice: the print is a dense purple-brown, the spores are plentiful, subellipsoid and about 11 to 17 by 7 to 10 micrometres, and reference images are easy to find for comparison. Most vendors sell it as a multispore syringe, with prints, swabs and named isolates also common.

• Species: Psilocybe cubensis
• In circulation: since the 1980s
• Spore print: purple-brown, dense
• Also sold as: multispore syringes, prints, swabs, isolates
• Known for: golden caps, beginner microscopy favourite