I am sure Charles will answer, but ease of germinating depends on freshness of the seed and how ripe the pod was when harvested. Real Seeds sell them, and I know they provide fresh good quality seed. Most other suppliers will buy from a third party. I have had a lot of trouble with commerical seed whereas my own, and Real Seeds, germinates in ~5 days. I would start now, with luck you’ll get seedlings by mid February.
As for soaking, it is said that if you drop seed into water, viable seed will sink. I have tended to soak seed, but I have done no controlled trials, so I cannot really say if it helps.