[laura 2]

You live in Hawaii, the land of Kona, and you drink *instant* coffee? Oh man! I have to chime in with HubicRuzz here - the is no instant coffee, IMO, that tastes like good coffee. It's like the difference between pure vanilla extract and that imitation stuff.

I second the french press - it really doesn't take any more time than normal brewing (especially if you have an electric kettle to boil the water), and you can get a creamy, almost espresso-like consistancy and taste to your coffee. I even make my own mochas this way by adding Penzy's Hot Chocolate Mix, creamer and sugar, and it's pretty damn close to coffeehouse quality.