"I added soup mix to the water while the beans were cooking so they'd soak up the salt of the mix. I tasted a bean; it had softened WELL before the time I had expected it to. Then I added the other spices & 3 small bay leaves. My father used to make black bean soup & I remember the bay leaves added a nice flavor, so I didn't want to leave it out. I""

"I've made this twice and both times it wasn't up to par. I thought I'd done something wrong the first time, so a month later I made it a second time and as I said, it was unsatisfactory. I don't recommend. ""