Each year when the tea season came around, as the harvest was gradually gathered in, the brokers would send out their "tea men" to choose the tea and negotiate prices. This was a lengthy process with much tough bargaining. Sometimes it took a whole week before a deal was struck, and only then would a ship be selected to carry the tea.
每年茶季一到，茶貨陸續聚集，經紀人於是派出「茶人」選茶議價，雙方你來我往，過程冗長，有時要花上一星期時間談妥，然後才能選船上貨。