Cazadores tequila: blanco, reposado and añejo

Cazadores is a blue agave tequila sold in three styles, blanco, reposado and añejo, and CBC Liquors in Westford carries all three on our Cazadores page. Choose blanco for margaritas and other cocktails, reposado when you want one bottle that does both, and añejo when you plan to sip it slowly.

What is Cazadores tequila?

Cazadores is a tequila brand made from blue Weber agave, the only agave variety tequila can legally be made from. The name means hunters in Spanish, and the deer on the label is how most people recognize the bottle on a shelf. It is made in Jalisco, the Mexican state at the center of tequila country.

The range follows the three classic ages of tequila: blanco, reposado and añejo. Each one is the same spirit at a different point in its life, so the choice comes down to how you want to drink it rather than which is the better bottle.

We carry all three at our shop on Littleton Rd in Westford: CAZADORES Blanco Tequila, CAZADORES REPOSADO and CAZADORES Anejo Tequila.

What is the difference between blanco, reposado and añejo?

The difference is time in oak. Blanco is unaged or rested only briefly, so it tastes the most like the agave itself: bright, clean, a little peppery, with citrus and fresh-cut plant notes. It is the style most bartenders reach for when a drink needs tequila to be clearly present.

Reposado means rested. Under the rules for tequila, it spends between two months and a year in oak, which softens the edges and adds notes of vanilla, caramel and light spice while keeping the agave character up front. If you are looking at reposado tequilas as a group, this is the middle point of the range.

Añejo means aged, between one and three years in oak. The colour deepens to amber, the texture gets rounder, and the flavours move toward baking spice, toasted wood and dried fruit. Compared with a blanco tequila, it is a slower, warmer drink and usually better on its own than in a cocktail with a lot of citrus.

Which Cazadores is best for margaritas?

Blanco is the usual answer. A margarita is tequila, fresh lime juice and an orange liqueur shaken with ice, and a blanco lets the lime and agave both come through without oak getting in the way. Salt on the rim is optional and a matter of taste.

Reposado also works well and gives the drink a slightly rounder, warmer finish. Some people prefer it in a margarita made on the rocks, where that softness holds up as the ice melts.

For the orange liqueur, look through our liqueur section. For the lime, squeeze it fresh; bottled juice is the most common reason a homemade margarita tastes flat.

What should you mix with Cazadores besides lime?

The simplest long drink is a paloma: tequila, grapefruit soda, a squeeze of lime, ice and a pinch of salt. Blanco is the natural choice, since the grapefruit is sharp and wants a clean tequila under it.

A tequila and soda with lime is lighter and takes about a minute. Reposado with ginger beer and lime makes a fair relative of a Moscow mule, with a little more depth from the oak.

Sodas, tonics, juices and syrups are all in our mixers section, so you can pick up what you need for the drink in the same visit as the bottle.

How do you drink Cazadores neat or on the rocks?

Añejo is the one to sip. Pour a small measure into a glass with a narrow rim, such as a snifter or a tulip glass, so the aroma gathers. Let it sit for a minute before the first taste.

If the alcohol feels sharp, a few drops of water open it up, or a single large ice cube slows dilution. Reposado is also good this way and is a little brighter than añejo, which some people prefer.

Blanco can be sipped too, though it is more direct. Served cold in a small glass alongside a plate of lime wedges and salt, it is a perfectly good way to taste what agave actually smells like.

What food goes with each style?

Blanco suits fresh, acidic food: ceviche, fish tacos, grilled shrimp, guacamole and anything with cilantro and lime. The sharpness of the tequila cuts through richness the same way a squeeze of citrus does.

Reposado is the more flexible partner for grilled chicken, carnitas, roasted vegetables and dishes with a smoky chile. The light oak notes echo char and spice rather than competing with them.

Añejo sits better after the meal than with it. Dark chocolate, an aged cheese or a bowl of roasted nuts are all good company, and it holds its own with coffee at the end of the evening.

Where can you buy Cazadores near Westford?

You can walk in to CBC Liquors at 142 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA 01886. We are open Sunday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Pickup runs on the same hours. You must be 21 or older to buy.

We also offer delivery, with delivery hours Sunday 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM. Our alcohol delivery from Westford page explains how it works, and the shipping terms are on our shipping policy page.

Besides Westford, we serve customers in Chelmsford, Acton, Littleton, Carlisle, Tyngsborough, Lowell, Billerica, Boxborough and Dunstable. Our Google rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 339 reviews.

How should you store tequila once it is open?

Keep the bottle upright, with the cap tightly closed, somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Unlike wine, tequila does not need to lie on its side, and the cork or cap sitting in contact with the spirit is not something you want over the long term.

Tequila does not continue to age once it is in the glass bottle, so a bottle you open this year will taste the same next year as long as it is sealed well. The one thing to watch is air. When a bottle is down to the last inch or two, the large pocket of air above the liquid slowly dulls the aroma, so it is worth finishing those bottles rather than leaving them for years.

There is no need to refrigerate it. If you like your blanco cold, a short time in the freezer before pouring is enough.

What else should you look at if you like Cazadores?

If you want to compare, the full tequila section sits alongside the Cazadores bottles, and our Got Tequila? collection groups the bottles together by style.

If you are choosing between whiskey and tequila for a gift or a gathering, our bourbon and whiskey sections are worth a look too. An añejo and a good bourbon appeal to a similar kind of slow sipper, and the oak and vanilla notes overlap more than people expect.

If you are planning an event, the party planner page is the place to start, and if you have a question about a specific bottle, you can ask us at the store.