Exploring Coral Cove's Magic Mushrooms

Originally featured in Fat Nugs Magazine Vol. 17. Enjoy the great articles and community at fatnugsmag.com.

Coral Cove Wellness takes recreation and relaxation seriously providing no shortage of activities across its coastal property and beyond. This is supplemented heavily by the Jamaican sunshine, food, cannabis and a mushroom or two (or ten..) of the psilocybe cubensis family. The choose-your-own-adventure vibes were real as the group explored the property and lounged in the pool all week. There were quite a few mushroom varieties available and many ways to consume including capsules, tea, delicious smoothies and my preferred form, dried and natural. It’s not that I “enjoy” the taste of them, per say, but I appreciate what they’re bringing to the table, so I like to have them unaltered. I also like to take little pieces throughout the day, weekend or event to ramp up slower than eating a gram or two at once. Everyone could choose their dosage, frequency and style with no pressure and a perfect set and setting to unwind and connect with nature and good folks.

The options we had to choose from were Cambodian, Fatback, Monster Mack and Golden Teachers. Some were capsule only like the Golden Teachers, so they were perfect for smoothies and other combinations while others were available in many forms. For a psychonaut, it was relative paradise for sure. Wake up, have a joint, yoga and breakfast, if you’d like, then put in an order of mushrooms for the day. With opportunities to re-order at any time, it’s safe to say I was in good spirits. On the first day, we arrived later in the afternoon and most turned in early to recover from travel, myself included. The next morning, I signed up for a gram of dried Cambodian, 1.5 grams of dried Fatback and .1g Golden Teacher smoothie to kick it off. When in Rome, right?

The snorkeling that day was unforgettable as the sunlight refracted through the water and coral. Swimming through the waves, feeling the ocean all around was otherworldly. Unwinding in the saltwater pool to watch the sunset with good music, conversation, cannabis and more mushrooms accented the day. 

We continued to explore the property and visited Wabba’s grow on day three. A fourth variety of mushroom was made available that morning as well, the Monster Mack. I had a heavier and much more introspective trip from this variety, thinking about work, family life and things. It was needed but consumed my thoughts from time to time. This was a healing cathartic experience to think about things and make some resolutions on what I want to do differently going forward. That night, I watched constellations in the sky over the island and enjoyed some bass music alongside the crashing waves.

On the last day at the resort, I had more Golden Teacher smoothies as well as a 1g chocolate bar in the evening. I had a very positive trip here after clearing some things out of my mind the day before. I can still see the horizon and feel the breeze from this one. We sat around with Wabba and the steam chalice until late in the night to get the most out of our time before early morning departures.

Because of the way I was layering on the different strains, it’s a little difficult to describe them separately. I think I’ll have to go back now so that one day could be dedicated to each. I can say that the Golden Teachers and Cambodians were gentler and maybe more “spiritual” in a sense of fostering a connection with the folks around you, the world beneath your feet and the stars above. There was a keen awareness there of the threads connecting us all. Both of these strains were excellent and are sought after and found across the globe. 

The Fatback variety I tried was very visual as advertised with trails of light and a kaleidoscopic effect on the sunset and the stars as well as an intense connection to the music I was playing. This one is a strain local and unique to Jamaica fruited outdoors on the bank of Wag Water River in St. Andrew.. The story and attention to detail here made the experience unique. The tryptamine content in these is higher than average around .055% which probably contributed to the “uniqueness”.

Monster Mack was the one that sent me inward on day three. It's bringing .11% tryptamine to the table along with a full gamut of psychedelia from interesting visuals in the air, wood grain, sand, clouds and cannabis smoke to time dilation and odd moments of deep introspection accompanied by some ups and downs throughout the trip. I was kind of mentally scrolling through the different aspects of life and priorities as I thought of them. I can’t say there was a particular realization or breakthrough from this, but it allowed me to get some things straightened up and prioritized around my family and projects. The resort was the perfect place to hang out and think through this with the rest of the Fat Nugs fam there smiling and smoking.

The mushrooms we had there were provided by Psacred Therapeutics out of Kingston and facilitated by Irijah and Annie, two very caring individuals who checked in on the group throughout the week. Irijah is a multi-certified wellness practitioner who led the yoga sessions and sound therapy for the group. I was too much of a night owl to make it to yoga, but I did experience the sound therapy after a long day of sun and mushrooms. It was memorable and took me by surprise. Deep resonating primal sound waves washed over and through me as she changed bowls and moved among the group creating an unrivaled ambiance of meditative peace.

I’m grateful for the experience at Coral Cove with Fat Nugs. It was unlike anything I’ve done before and the opportunity to explore their mushroom offerings was perfect. It was my first time at a wellness resort but definitely won’t be my last. With and without psychedelics, there’s much to enjoy and appreciate in Jamaica.