Cambodian Spore Print

Meet the sprinter. Cambodian is the strain that gets on with it — one of the fastest colonisers in the whole Psilocybe cubensis family, and a variety with a reputation for being almost aggressively efficient. Where Golden Teacher ambles, Cambodian bolts. That speed, paired with a genuinely hardy constitution and a good tolerance for less-than-ideal conditions, has made it a quiet favourite among people who want reliability without the wait.

The look is understated rather than showy: golden to pale caramel caps, medium-sized and often opening out flat with a small raised bump at the centre, sitting on slender, pale stems. It's not the strain that wins beauty contests — but it makes up for that with generosity. Cambodian is a notably heavy spore producer, dropping dense purple-black prints with real enthusiasm, which is exactly the trait you want when the whole point of the exercise is what ends up on the slide.

Something to keep in mind: it doesn't hang about. Cambodian's pace means the interesting moments arrive sooner than you might be expecting, and it has a habit of producing in flushes that come thick and fast rather than politely spacing themselves out. Rewarding, but it asks you to keep up.

A little history: refreshingly, this one has an actual paper trail. Cambodian is credited to the American mycologist and ethnomycologist John W. Allen — "Mushroom John" — who collected the original specimens in the early 1990s near Angkor Wat, in the Siem Reap region of Cambodia, where cubensis grows wild in the cattle pastures around the temple complex. He brought the genetics back; they were isolated and stabilised, and the strain spread through hobbyist circles from there. Given how much of this trade runs on rumour and vendor folklore, a named collector and a named location feels almost indecently well documented.

Storage: Keep your spores refrigerated, not frozen, from the moment you receive them. Pop them in the fridge straight away, and they’ll happily keep for a couple of months and, in perfect conditions, even for years.

Remember: All our products are sold for microscopy purposes ONLY; do not try to grow mushrooms with any of our products; that would be illegal and very naughty. While I have your attention on this matter, it is very surprising to learn how many naughty people there are out there. No judging, but I cannot answer any questions about growing mushrooms. It doesn’t matter if you live somewhere where growing is legal; I still won’t answer any questions – please don’t ask. However, if you do ask me naughty questions, I will unfortunately have to add you to my banned list, and you will be unable to enjoy any of my lovely products. I will also inform Santa about your naughty behaviour and ask him to put you on his naughty list – that’s now Christmas stuffed. So please, no naughty questions.

Don’t Forget:

• Keep them in a cool, dark place; about 5’c is nice

• Keep the product in a clean and tidy place

• Don’t let the product get hot

• Don’t let them freeze

• Don’t let them become dusty or dirty