#209 After Dark: From SWAT Cop to Coffee and Tea Entrepreneur: Anthony of In The Black on Training Culture, Engineering Mindset, and Building Something from Nothing

About this episode

Live from the 2026 TTPOA conference with the TTPOA Podcast hosts and Anthony, a nine-year law enforcement veteran, SWAT officer in the Houston area, and founder of In The Black. From getting washed out of combat controller selection at basic training, to walking mail routes, to finding his lane in USPSA competition and eventually building a coffee and tea brand out of his garage, Anthony's brutally honest story is proof that the American dream is still very much alive for guys willing to do the dumb, hard, embarrassing work it takes to figure things out.

The conversation goes deep on what challenges law enforcement training, and Anthony doesn't pull punches. Teaching cops to show clear on an imaginary 50-yard line instead of building critical thinkers, spoon-feeding answers during shoot house runs, and confusing range safety with officer competence are all on the table. Anthony and the crew break down why that approach is not just inefficient but potentially dangerous, and what it looks like when a team actually commits to changing the culture.

But this episode is just as much about building something outside the badge. Anthony talks through the full origin of In The Black: starting with loose-leaf tea because nobody in the tactical space was doing it, pivoting to coffee after burning batch after batch on a home roaster, and finding his name in Jeff Cooper's color code system applied as dark humor during a brutal SWAT selection process. The creative energy behind the brand, the viral video that crossed a million views, and the role his wife plays in keeping the whole operation from burning down are all fair game.

If you have ever felt the pull between the job you were trained for and the thing you want to build, this one will hit home.

In this episode:

• Anthony explains why law enforcement departments training officers to 'show clear on the line' instead of building critical thinkers is not just inefficient but actively dangerous: when a real incident happens and officers are isolated during the investigative process, they realize they were never taught how all the pieces connect.

• The speed-accuracy balance in USPSA competition directly translates to tactical work: running reloads between positions rather than standing static on a line mirrors the reality of nearly every officer-involved shooting video in existence.

• Anthony's framework for teaching firearms is simple: make guys uncomfortable, show them exactly where the discomfort came from, then repeat the basic stuff far more times than anyone thinks is necessary before adding complexity.

• In The Black got its name from Jeff Cooper's color code system, specifically the unofficial fifth color 'black' that Anthony's SWAT team used to describe going full chaos mode during selection, turning a symbol of failure into a brand built on humor and self-awareness.

• The coffee line launched after Anthony burned every single home-roasted batch trying to listen for first and second crack while being partially deaf from years on the range, eventually outsourcing to a specialty roaster, where flavor profiles are locked into a system so he just pushes a button.

• Anthony's viral million-view video was built on three things: a French competitive shooter doing something bizarre on the range, Moe in a skin-tight shirt matching the moves shot for shot, and a Roxbury song edit that made it look like ballroom dancing with zero hits on target.

• The leadership problem Anthony identifies in law enforcement is a status play: people in senior positions avoid hard decisions because they are protecting their next promotion, which cascades all the way down to the individual officer who never gets pushed to think critically.

• Running In The Black entirely from his house while working full-time in law enforcement means Anthony wears every hat, from packaging and heat-sealing bags on a scale like a drug dealer to using ChatGPT to code the website, with his wife as the one constant 'yes' behind every idea.

Chapters:

0:01 The Capable Standard: intro and waitlist pitch
2:25 Live at TTPOA: setting the scene
3:36 Introducing Anthony and In The Black HQ
4:41 Anthony's background: military, mail routes, and law enforcement
11:19 Finding the shooting journey through TTPOA and USPSA
18:41 Training culture, critical thinkers, and what real firearms instruction looks like
28:39 Why siloed training fails officers when it matters most
38:39 Joining In Extremis Performance and developing as an instructor
45:04 The origin of In The Black: tea, coffee, and the entrepreneurial leap
53:49 The meaning behind the name: Jeff Cooper's color code and SWAT humor
56:18 The viral videos, creative process, and social media presence
1:07:05 Building a business from home, wearing every hat, and the support system behind it

Mentioned:

Jake Labhart — Founder of In Extremis Performance, described as a brainiac on human movement and a doctor who invited Anthony to come on as an instructor, and introduced Scott to the TTPOA community.

Gabe Rivera — Instructor and active LEO who competed at the match the day of recording and was referenced for shooting 500 rounds at steel on the last day.

Brandon Hernandez — Referenced as the person Jake Labhart texted when making introductions, described as wearing a sequin motorcycle helmet when Scott Howell first met him upstairs at the Kalahari.

Ben Stoeger — Referenced as a competitive shooter so mechanically consistent that Anthony describes him as 'not human' and 'a robot' after watching him shoot.

Jeff Cooper — Originator of the color code system of situational awareness, specifically the white, yellow, orange, and red levels that Anthony's department extended with an unofficial 'black' designation.

Kim — The only American to attend tea college, located in the Houston area, who became Anthony's tea supplier and mentor for the loose-leaf side of In The Black.

Dana — Anthony's wife, whose coffee preference was narrowly his number two pick in the taste test and whose unwavering support he credits as the foundation of everything he is building.

Rebecca — Person in the fitness industry getting into the tactical world, mentioned walking by during the recording at the TTPOA conference.

Joel — Person in the fitness industry getting into the tactical world, mentioned walking by during the recording at the TTPOA conference.

Preston — A Texas LEO Anthony has long looked up to as one of the guys getting after it in the competitive space.

Sal — A Texas-based LEO Anthony trains with and who appeared in an In The Black HQ viral video wearing a wig while doing a skit.

Kolton — A Texas LEO Anthony looks up to, mentioned alongside Preston as someone he was surprised to be invited alongside when Jake Labhart brought him into IEP.

Matt — Anthony's videographer and editor for In The Black content, referenced both in the context of the video production process and as someone Anthony texts with random creative ideas.