A Conversation with Tresna Lee, Kin North Founder

While Kin North’s incense has always been part of Camillo’s slow soak bath experience, tub time just became even more perfect with their latest creation - Flame. Inspired by our favourite cocktail, Flame takes the fragrance notes of a Negroni and makes it into a luxurious incense that awaits you at Camillo.

To find out more about Flame and the creative behind it, we caught up with Kin North founder, Tresna Lee. In this conversation, Trensa shares the Kin North story and spark of inspiration that led to her latest incense creation. Tresna also gives us the lowdown on her tips for making the perfect Negroni!

What led you to launch Kin North?

I fell in love with Japanese incense around 15 years ago. I’d only ever known the bamboo core incense - you know, the really smokey one that we all burnt in our teenage years! 

Japanese incense is refined, and high quality versions leave beautiful scents in a home for many hours. The first time I burnt a stick was a revelation! It started my love affair and over the next decade I tried hundreds of incense to find the styles and scents that I loved the most.  I always came back to the premium Japanese incense, but found it difficult to source in Australia. 

I dreamt of bringing Japanese Incense to the world in a way that was beautifully packaged. After many years of dreaming and researching I came across Chikako at Tokyo Kodo, a third generation incense maker who studied French perfumery in France. 

When we met, Chikako and I hit it off and decided to collaborate on a series of incense that would capture my favourite scents.  Chikako and her husband, Geoffrey, make the incense and I hand-package it in Melbourne with beautiful letter pressed wrappers made for me by The Hungry Workshop.

We absolutely adore your newest incense, Flame, and love sharing it with out guests at Camillo. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration for your newest creation and what you want to evoke with this scent. 

Flame is the third incense in the series and captures the scent memory of one of my very early dates with my now partner, Shane. It encapsulates the moment when I realised there was something igniting between us. We were drinking negronis and red wine at the, then new, Cumulus Up. We were surrounded by a humming crowd enjoying great conversation in a dark and moody environment and there was a sense of smouldering anticipation in the air. I call it the seductive scent.

What are some of the fragrance notes in Flame?

The incense we make features premium ingredients normally reserved for the best perfumes, and while each stick is small, they pack a punch with a 15 minute burn time and lingering scent. Flame has notes of leather, cardamon, clove, bitter orange. All the scents you’d expect in a moody wine bar while drinking a Negroni!

Burning incense is about more than making a space smell nice! How do you use it to bring ritual and beauty into your every day?

I’ve always got lots of things on the go and can be inclined to work-a-holic tendencies! I started burning incense several times a day because I enjoyed the scent, but it became a little ritual where I could pause and be immersed in something beautiful for myself. I find stopping and meditating difficult, but a little incense ritual can be a sensorial meditation if I allow it to be. 

Taking the time to select a scent, an incense holder, using a beautiful lighter and spending a few minutes, or the entire burn time, to sit and watch the smoke unfurl can be a nice punctuation mark in my day.  Sensorial priming is an exciting way to work with scent and over time I’ve started to associate certain scents with different times of day, or moods. If I want to feel inspired or energised I burn ‘Bloom’, and if I want to unwind I’ll burn ‘Home’.  

Last year, you and your partner Shane, launched Gemini, a wine bar and pantry in Coburg. Like us, you love a Negroni (or two!). What are your tips for making the perfect Negroni?

Building Gemini was years in the making and it’s hard to believe we’re a year old now! We focus on Victorian producers and wanted our Gemini Negroni to feature spirits that are made as close to us as possible.

We tried around 30 recipes (yes, that was fun!) and finally landed on a ratio of spirits that works perfectly for us. We use Saison Red Vermouth (made by Embla owner and chef, Dave Verhaul), Maidenii’s Roselle replaces Campari, and we rotate the gin component with local Gin makers.  It’s a vibrant negroni with notes of strawberry gum, pepperberry and citrus and we serve it on a giant cube from Navy Strength Ice and a slice of seasonal citrus.

My tips for creating the perfect house Negroni:

• Experiment with the components of Gin, Red Vermouth and Campari (or bitter orange) and find the spirits you love.  

• The classic ratio is equal parts of each spirit, but don’t be afraid to increase the vermouth if you like things a little spicy, or decrease the Campari (or substitute) if you’re wanting to minimise those bitter notes.

• Once you find the ratios you love, make up a bottle and keep it in the fridge! If I’m entertaining at home I’ll pre-dilute the mix (around 5% water added to your mix) which means I can get drinks in hands even faster because I don’t need to stir them down.

• High quality ice is a must and for home use I like using large cube trays. Two of these in a pre-chilled glass is perfect.

And lastly, what are you currently….

Reading ~ I’m re-reading ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’ by Will Guidara ahead of our next Gemini Book Club.  It’s a great read about the rise of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie to the number one restaurant in the world. It’s filled with leadership lessons that are applicable to any industry and I always find something new to be inspired by.

Watching ~ ‘Nobody Wants This’ has been my “brain candy” watch over the last weeks.  I feel a great sense of nostalgia watching Adam Brody in a romantic lead!

Cooking ~ In years gone by I’ve enjoyed spending hours preparing elaborate meals, but in this season of life our weeks are quite full so keeping it low key and getting together with friends on a Sunday afternoon for casual snacks and drinks is more our speed.  In winter it’s red wine and spanish crisps around an outdoor fire and in summer we’ll shuck oysters and drink crisp white wine or Champagne in the sunshine. Taking the pressure out of entertaining means we still get to spend time with those we love.

Listening To ~ I was moved by this cover of ‘What was I made for’ by Maanyung.

Savouring ~ My daily walk with our two dachshund’s is a beautiful way to connect to the happenings in our neighborhood. I love seeing the way gardens bloom at this time of year.  The smell of Jasmine in the air makes me happy. 

Photograph 1 by Pretty In Palms // Photograph 2 by Mette Kortelainen // Photograph 3 by Grace Petrou