Spiced Cold Brew Concentrate with Star Anise

Cold-steeped overnight with cardamom, cinnamon, and star anise, this concentrate carries a warm anise depth that's particularly well-suited to diluting with whole milk or a spiced lassi-style blend. Black peppercorns are reduced to a minimal amount — or omitted entirely — to prevent sharp, earthy tannins from muddying the cup; a pinch of freshly cracked pepper at serving gives you control over that heat. Scaled to fill a larger pitcher and yield 6 servings.

Ingredients

• coarsely ground coffee, medium-dark roast – 1½ cups
• green cardamom pods, lightly crushed – 2¼ teaspoons
• cinnamon sticks – 1⅛ sticks (about 3 inches)
• black peppercorns, cracked (optional) – ¼ teaspoon (or omit entirely)
• whole star anise – 1½ pods
• cold filtered water – 6 cups

Instructions

1. Combine the ground coffee, crushed cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in a large jar or pitcher. If using black peppercorns, add no more than ¼ teaspoon of cracked pepper — or skip them altogether if you've found the brew tastes earthy or muddy; you can always add a tiny pinch of freshly cracked pepper directly to the finished glass instead. Give everything a brief stir to distribute the spices evenly through the grounds.
2. Pour the cold filtered water over the coffee-spice mixture and stir once more until all the grounds are saturated and no dry pockets remain. The star anise will float — that's fine.
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours. Longer than 24 hours can bring out an astringent edge from the spices; 18 hours is a reliable sweet spot.
4. Strain the concentrate through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter set over a bowl or pitcher. Discard the spent grounds and spices.
5. Transfer the strained concentrate to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To serve, dilute 1 part concentrate with 1 part cold whole milk, water, or oat milk over ice. For a lassi-style drink, blend 1 part concentrate with 1 part plain whole-milk yogurt, a pinch of salt, and ice until smooth. If you skipped the peppercorns during steeping, a small pinch of freshly cracked black pepper over the finished drink adds a gentle heat without the earthy extraction risk.