Pour water into a large pot. Add the apples, 1/2 orange, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and star anise. Stir to mix.
Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the orange and use a potato masher to crush to apples into a pulp. Then simmer for another hour.
Once the cooking time is up, strain the pulp and juice through a sieve into a pitcher or large bowl.
Let the cider cool to your desired temperature before serving. If you want chilled cider, let it cool to room temperature before placing the pitcher in the fridge.
Notes
This cider will keep for 4 days in the fridge.
If you prefer to leave out the brown sugar, you can. The cider won't be quite as sweet, but it will still be delicious.