The truth is that you will almost never be able to recreate the sensation of smoking a real cigarette, there are a million little chemical reactions going on with each puff and what you are getting is an amalgamation of those little explosions (from the tastes coming from the dry tobacco through the filter, the flavor of the actual burning of the leaf, all the way to the charring of the leaves and the actual smoke). There is no way that an e-liquid will encapsulate all of that in one go. If memory serves me- even real cigarettes had differing hits from the first to the last; The first was always delicious, the last being ashy and hot.
The point being is that you are trying to quit: if you find something that emulates whatever you used to smoke, fantastic! But you probably will not find that perfect substitute if you look at it that way. I say try and find something that you enjoy. I was a two-pack a day Marlboro smoker, weirdly I gravitated towards fruity vapors with a bit of menthol. I always hated menthol cigarettes, but with vaping, I get a familiar hit and sensation with the menthol. Try things unexpected, you might even end with something you enjoy more than your old favorites.
Again, I loved smoking my Marlboros. I did it for 20 years. Even if the price went down and they were proven not to kill you and make you feel like hell, I think I would stick to vaping my menthol fruity e-cigs. I just enjoy them that much now.