Unfortunately, it takes lots more time to prepare black coffee. Paradoxically. With instant, I just throw in saccharine and artificial creamer until it tastes okay. There is no instant coffee that's remotely drinkable black, in my opinion, so that means I'd have to spend time brewing.
I suggest looking into a coffee press. Easy to clean, no filters to buy. You need to heat up water in your microwave and then let it sit for a few minutes. If you really are worried about time, pre-grind a bunch of beans over the weekend. You'll sacrifice a bit in taste, but it will make preparation faster. With an automatic coffee pot, just set it up the night before on a timer, and you'll have steaming hot coffee ready when your alarm goes off. We're really only talking about a difference of a few minutes. It will take you longer than that to get rid of the extra calories.
I use this thing: http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID... along with a Japanese-style water boiler. I grind the coffee (with a burr grinder; very convenient) directly into the filter, then I put it on top of a cup, then I press a button to dispense the nearly-boiling water. It is not instant, but it does not take long, and you get real coffee.
I might need to invest in that, my coffee pot is too big for my average use case. Any recommendations on burr grinders? My blade grinder works fine, but was thinking about trying a burr grinder out.
