Types of Tequila: From Blanco to Extra Añejo

Agave spirits service at Rosa Mexicano: a premium tequila bottle, a salt-rimmed glass and fresh lime on a dark bar.

Your Guide to the Five Expressions

Ask a bartender about the types of tequila and you will usually hear four words: blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo. Those words describe time in oak, and time in oak changes almost everything about how a bottle tastes. Because our Agave Spirits Library holds more than 100 tequilas and mezcals, this guide is the shortest route to knowing what you are ordering.

First, What Actually Counts as Tequila

Tequila comes from a single plant, the blue Weber agave, and producers may only make it in Jalisco and limited municipalities of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Mexico’s Consejo Regulador del Tequila enforces those legally protected rules. In other words, every tequila is a mezcal, but not every mezcal is a tequila — a distinction we unpack in our guide to tequila vs. mezcal.

A bottle that says “100% de agave” contains nothing but agave sugars. One that says simply “tequila” may carry up to 49% other sugars, which is why the two taste so different.

The Types of Tequila, From Youngest to Oldest

A premium bottle representing the types of tequila, with a salt-rimmed glass and fresh lime on a dark bar.

Blanco (silver, plata) — goes into the bottle unaged, or rests under two months. It gives the clearest window into the agave itself: bright, peppery, citrus-forward, faintly vegetal. This is the backbone of a proper margarita.
Reposado — “rested” for two to twelve months in oak. The barrel softens the pepper and lends vanilla, butterscotch and a light gold colour, while the agave still comes through. It is the most versatile of the lot.
Añejo — one to three years in barrels no larger than 600 litres. Consequently the oak takes the lead: caramel, dried fruit, baking spice, a rounder finish. Serve it neat.
Extra Añejo — three years or more in wood, drinking closer to a fine cognac than to a young agave spirit. We give it a guide of its own: extra añejo tequila explained.
Joven — usually a blanco blended with an aged tequila or with colouring, and often sold as “gold”. Worth recognising on a back bar.

Highland or Lowland: The Other Half of the Story

Rows of blue agave in the Jalisco highlands, where the types of tequila begin.

Age is only one variable. Where the agave grew matters just as much. Agave from Los Altos, the highlands, ripens slowly in iron-rich red soil and yields sweeter, fruitier, more floral spirits. Agave from the lowland valleys around the town of Tequila gives earthier, herbaceous, peppery results. Therefore two blancos from the same year can taste like different categories entirely, and tasting them side by side is the fastest way to find your own preference.

How to Taste the Types of Tequila at Rosa Mexicano

Our hand-crafted flights exist for exactly this comparison — one highland pour beside one lowland pour, or a blanco beside its aged siblings from the same distillery. Above all, ask. Our team will happily narrow more than 100 bottles down to the two or three worth your evening.

Browse the bar menu before you arrive.
See the full collection at our Lincoln Center dining room.
Curious about the smoky side of agave? Start with our mezcal guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many types of tequila are there? The regulator formally recognises five: blanco, joven, reposado, añejo and extra añejo.

Which one suits a margarita? Blanco, because its citrus and pepper cut through lime and orange liqueur instead of hiding behind oak.

Does older always mean better? No. Older simply means more oak influence. If you love the taste of agave, a good blanco will beat an expensive extra añejo every time.