A thermal carafe is a ceramic or steel pitcher whose purpose is to keep the liquid inside it very hot (or very cold). \r\n\r\nI use the French press found here:\r\n
http://www.espressozone.com/frieling-5237.html\r\n\r\nIt's makes excellent tasting coffee. It is a thermal French press so it keeps the coffee from cooling off. \r\n\r\nBut French presses are not really meant to hold coffee. They're only meant to make coffee. Once the coffee has steeped the appropriate amount of time, it should be poured off. \r\n\r\nI think people get confused about this because, in itself, a metal French press looks similar to many carafes into which coffee is dispensed from the dripmaker.