I went to the source of the world's best coffee — and saw firsthand why the industry is in trouble

Erin Brodwin/Business Insider

Mmm, coffee.

Not only is the tangy brew one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, its active ingredient — caffeine — is the most popular psychoactive drug on the planet.

But coffee is in trouble. The crop is highly vulnerable to climate change. According to a new report, it'll be extinct by 2080.

I recently visited a coffee farm in Costa Rica, one of the world's most desirable coffee-harvesting countries, to see why the delicious crop is on the brink of disappearing:

Our drive to a coffee farm called Cafe Monteverde took us up a mountain on a dirt road for about an hour and a half. On our way, we got some breathtaking views of the area's rugged, hilly terrain and gorgeous forest cover.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

The region of Monteverde, where a lot of Costa Rica's coffee is grown, is a misty, cloud-enshrined area about three hours from San Jose, the capital. The humid, shady climate is ideal for growing coffee plants, but the drive to reach it can be a challenge if you're not familiar with the roads.

Google Maps

My partner (right) and I were introduced to the farm by Felix Salazar (left), a nature photographer born and raised in Monteverde who also works on the farm and gives tours in his free time. Felix walked us through the rolling green fields where the coffee for Cafe Monteverde is grown.

Erin Brodwin/Business Insider

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