http://thermal-carafe-coffee-makers.info When looking for the best coffee carafe it's important to know what the best features are in a carafe. A carafe is a coffee pot you can pour from, but there are both glass carafes and stainless steel carafes. Glass carafes are common, but they require a burner underneath them to keep the coffee hot. This causes some burned taste to affect the flavour of the coffee. Stainless steel coffee carafes, however, (also known as thermal coffee carafes) maintain the heat inside the vessel without any external heat source like a burner. That means your coffee not only stays hot but also stays fresh-tasting. But another thing to remember is that some thermal carafes maintain heat better and longer than others.