Thats a tough question, especially because its for some one else...
But with the set up that will be used , its going to be tough also. NET are known to be especially hard on clearomizers and cartomizers. They can gunk up an atomizer in hours in some cases. Some NET are cleaner than others but if your friend is going to be dealing with being a new vapor NET might not be a good one to start out with because it might be frustrating.
If you decide on tobacco try a good tobacco flavored e-liquid. Halo makes great ones, but its been a while since Ive tried non-NET.
No matter what tobacco is chosen it will never taste like a cigarette because its missing what makes a cigarette a " cigarette" . There is nothing burning, and no tar and all the other "things" they put in the mix.
There are a lot of synthetic tobacco eliquids , look for ones called Virginia Flue, Burley, Perique or 7 leaves etc. Mt Baker Vapor has quite a few tobaccos and I know they are well made and prices are great too. I think they even have one called Marlboro. I also would get 50/50 PG/VG blends and depending on how much they smoke and what brand start out with 10 or 12mg. With a clearo that should be fine. Tell them to watch their heart rate etc. watch for shaking etc. if they are getting too much nicotine. Vaping nicotine intake can be different from cigarettes vastly depending on the atomizer/ clearomizer. Some enhance the nicotine and need less nic.
When I used cartos I started out with 12mg. As I advanced in my vape years and got into rebuildable atomizers I lowered the nic levels because they enhanced the way the nicotine was being produced and I got the shakes real bad.
I hope this helps and doesnt confuse.... Im not the best at explaining sometimes....
Here is the link to Mt Baker
Nicotine Juice - Tobacco Flavors - Mt Baker Vapor - Electronic Cigarettes