I started with Vuse (pre Juul days or at least I didn't know about that one). Tasted like crap but after three days I realized I hadn't had one cigarette. Stayed with it for about six months before moving on to an eGo clear Triton from Halo with Tribeca juice. Thought I'd found heaven. Moved on from there but that 48 mg Vuse is what got me going and it wasn't the flavor that won me over.
For me flavor had an effect - but it wasn't like those ce4's were flavor bangers or anything.. lol.
But I could taste sweet and cinnamon, while it wasn't strong nor a pure flavor like it is now in an RTA, it tasted SO much better than cigarettes.
So much so that my cigarette cave-in at the 2 week mark left me putting that cigarette out half way and not smoking anymore.. I couldn't handle the gross taste of a cigarette after two weeks of vaping..
So flavor I think for some of us does have an effect.. but perhaps because of the way people talk who have been vaping for years and found our perfect flavor profile newbies might have unrealistic expectations...
Plus those of us who were most affected by flavor likely never dual used (I know I didn't). Smoking and vaping at the same time will mess up any flavor because it messes with your taste buds..