How do I use dry tea to make a cup of tea?

Tea is made from the young leaf of the tea bush, camellia sinensis. The processing depends on the type of tea. Black tea is allowed to sit (this is called fermenting, but the term is technically incorrect) for a period before being dried, usually in an oven. Green tea is not "fermented." A certain kind of tea, pu'erh, is then buried in the ground for up to several years. Some kinds of tea, such as lapsang souchong, are smoked with aromatic woods. Tea contains many chemical compounds, including tannins (responsible for the astringent taste), caffeine (less than coffee), and theophylline (similar to caffeine, it affects some people more strongly and others less strongly).