I agree with everything you say there, especially the bit in bold.
I've tried a few things to try and get some flavour into it, but haven't really succeeded.
Although funnily enough I found using an ale yeast gave me a bit more flavour.
For a few dollars more I now buy the Mangrove Jack cider kit. I'm lucky that the bloke I buy my stuff from sells it significantly cheaper than most other places.
In fact I asked him if he could get me one. He got a few in and sold out quite quickly. He thanked me as it's a good seller for him.
GalBrew I see you're in East Melbourne. How are you going during lockdown? Hopefully restrictions will be eased soon.
If you can find somewhere that sells Bickfords Cloudy Apple cordial it's not a bad drop. Add a dash to your glass before pouring the cider. I had to contact Bickfords to find where to buy it. Only one stockist in my area.