I am no expert but I think that a
rocket stove works extreamly well when fed secondly air, it needs to be very hot air and the area it feeds must also be extreamly hot.
There are a few vids that show it working, Potty has one and he talks you through it too.
The thing is there are no
rocket stove police so you can do what you want and as you have proved you don’t need to follow protocol to enjoy messing with rocket fires however ... I think to get the very best results ... a sealed unit with controlled air feeds allows much more scope to get the best from your fire.
I also think that a lot of the designs are about getting a very clean exhaust, not just a smoke free effect.
I am not even sure what type of fire that articles is talking about?