CORRENTI IS GOING UP IN SMOKE

Oldest cigar factory in Canada forced to make way for condos

Tucked away at the end of a narrow alley, Correnti Cigars Limited would be easy to miss if not for the hand-painted sign in front saying “Oldest Cigar Factory in Canada.” The business has changed hands many times since it opened in 1903. The Miller family, who have owned Correnti’s since 1977, got word a few weeks ago that, after 15 years in their current home near Bathurst St. and Portland Ave., they will have to move this spring to make way for condos.

A family tradition:

Jeff, his brother Kris and sister Kelly all work at Correnti’s. When he started, there were three generations of Millers under one roof. The Miller family (originally Møller) were cigar makers in their native Denmark before moving to Toronto in 1957, Jeff said.

The art of cigar making:

When someone rolls their first cigar, you know right away if they will ever develop the touch, Cabrera said. “It’s like an art,” she explained. “When you are painting, you relax. When you do something with your hands, it takes you to another . . .” she trailed off, apparently lost in thought. She tasted her first cigar when she was 19 and still learning the ropes. “It was terrible,” she said, grimacing; “and it feels so strong. I had aftertaste for more than a week.”

The last cigar:

It’s safe to say Correnti’s is the last handmade cigar factory in Canada, said Giuseppe Diluciano, co-owner of Thomas Hinds Tobacconist in Yorkville. No machine can beat the hands of a Cuban master roller, he noted. “It’s neat having a feature like this in a city,” he said. “It’s a marvellous thing to see a cigar being made, even if you don’t care about cigars.”

Wall of fame :

“There’s a lot of history in these walls,” said manager Kris Miller, son of the owner, John. History is on the walls, too. The factory’s entrance is decorated with photos of celebrities who have chomped on Correnti cigars, from Brad Pitt and Gene Hackman to Whiplash star Miles Teller. Across the hall is a glass case displaying the first cigar that was hand-rolled by Miller’s grandfather, Kai, in 1934.

JEFF GOODE The Miller family, which owns Correnti Cigars Limited, isn’t related to the business’s namesake, Sicilian-born cigar-maker Frank Correnti (pictured). He worked for the Millers after he moved to Toronto via Montreal in 1929. In the ’60s, he struck out...

Photos by Carlos Osorio Meet Titi: Forty-year-old Titi Cabrera, centre, learned to be a torcedora back home in Havana. She didn’t expect to put her skills to use in a factory in downtown Toronto when she moved here about 20 years ago. She enjoys making cigars, even if it...