Mexican Cafe De Olla-Decaf! - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 cups water
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (or piloncillo)
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup freshly ground freshly ground dark roasted decaf coffee beans (Viennese is good)
anise seed (optional)

Preparation

Heat 3 cups of the water, sugar and cinnamon in a medium saucepan, stirring frequently. Bring the mixture to a boil, making sure to stir till the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes until the mixture is reduced by a quarter. The last 5 minutes, add the 1 tbls. cornstarch to the remaining 1 cup of water, mix completely, and add to the water/cinnamon mix. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the ground coffee and stir until the mixture returns to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and allow to stand for at least five minutes.
Strain the mixture using a fine sieve or a double layer of cheesecloth. Pour into mugs and serve while hot. Top with a few aniseeds if you like.