Crushing star anise is not necessary but can help release its flavor if you are trying to avoid its strong aroma. Crushed star anise has a much stronger flavor than whole star anise. If you don’t have star anise already crushed you can buy it crushed from any spice shop or supermarket. It’s not difficult to crush whole star anise but not so with crushed star anise. You can easily crush whole star anise using mortar and pestle or any other flat hard surface like granite or ceramic tile.