I do use cold water though; it's more convenient and I did not taste a difference tbh.
Also i do not use the wet towel to 'stop the brewing process', I just pour the coffe in my cup as soon as i hear any gurgling.
Can't really explain why, but yes, the original (Bialetti) ones work better than the others.
Coarseness of the grounds should be somewhere between filter-coffee-coarseness and espresso.
I use a gas stove, smallest flame on full power.
What works for me is A Zass turkish unit (old stock) almost at finest grind, then either half a filter full for the Kaliffa or rounded overfill for the Kona. Cold water, electric stove at half heat. Takes around 6-8 minutes, produces a different kind of heaven depending on which maker.
What works for me is A Zass turkish unit (old stock) almost at finest grind, then either half a filter full for the Kaliffa or rounded overfill for the Kona. Cold water, electric stove at half heat. Takes around 6-8 minutes, produces a different kind of heaven depending on which maker.