One of the Mirasol cultivars of the species Capsicum annuum. Farmers cultivate cascabel in several states throughout Mexico, including Coahuila, Durango, Guerrero and Jalisco. The 'rattle' and 'bell' designations describe the tendency of loose seeds to rattle inside a dried cascabel when shaken. Fresh cascabel, which is 2–3 cm in diameter, is also known as chile bola ('ball chilli').

The pigmentation of the fresh chillies blends from green to red; when dried (as shown), the color darkens.

The flavour it is spicy and smoky, with a mild to medium heat.