When you see smoke coming out of the base of the stove when starting, you are experiencing a cold downdraft in the chimney that needs to be reversed before too much smoke is generated.
If you experience this on a regular basis then you should check your chimney before starting the fire.
The best way to check this is to open the bypass and place your hand directly under it before starting the fire:
If you feel cold air pushing down on your hand, you will know that if you build a fire, there is a good chance that the smoke will be pushed out into the room. The natural reaction is to then close the door and this then pushes smoke through the air channels of the stove and out the bottom.
If you do not feel cold air then you will not experience the problem.
If you feel cold air you should put clean heat into the chimney until the draft is reversed and you no longer feel cold air. This can be accomplished in a few ways
1. A small propane torch or hair dryer can be pointed up the flue as illustrated by the red arrow above. (Best option)
2. A "top down" fire with plenty of tinder that will burn relatively smoke free will sometimes reverse the draft:
