Dilute a strong cup without hiding the problem
A little suitable water can make a concentrated cup easier to drink. Try it in a small portion and keep the next brewing adjustment separate.
Work with a small part of the cup
If the tea tastes too concentrated, pour a little into another suitable cup and add a small amount of safe drinking water. Mix gently and taste once the temperature is comfortable. This lets you see whether dilution helps without committing the entire pot to an uncertain change. If the test improves the balance, add water to the remaining tea gradually rather than in one large splash.
Leave enough space in the receiving cup. An already brimful mug is a poor place to start adding liquid, especially when both tea and water are hot. The water temperature can be chosen to make the final drink comfortable, provided it is safe drinking water and the tea was properly prepared initially. Diluting a finished infusion is different from using insufficiently hot water for a product that requires a boiling-water steep.
Dilution changes concentration, not history
Adding water reduces the concentration of what is already in the cup. It does not remove particular flavours selectively or reverse a long extraction. A tea that is merely too intense may become pleasant, while one with an unwanted harsh finish may still be disappointing after it is weaker. Do not keep adding water until the drink is both thin and unpleasant just to avoid starting again.
If the leaves are still present, take them out before trying to rescue the cup. Otherwise dilution and ongoing brewing pull the drink in different directions. Remove a basket or decant through a suitable strainer. Then decide whether the finished liquid is worth adjusting. A modest test uses less water and effort than repeatedly refilling a pot whose leaves continue extracting throughout the process.
Give the next brew a clearer starting point
Afterwards, consider why the cup became stronger than intended. Too much leaf for the measured water, a timer missed during a call or a slow-draining pot each suggests a different change. Record the likely cause and adjust one thing next time. If you deliberately enjoy a concentrated brew diluted at serving, that can become a recipe of its own; measure the final water as part of it. The useful distinction is between planned dilution and a last-minute correction you cannot reliably repeat.
